"Hellfire and Damnation" - Stories of Keeping Meher Mount for Meher Baba from Agnes Baron's Life
Sam L. Ervin
“Hellfire and damnation” is how co-founder and lifetime caretaker Agnes Baron (1907-1994) described her life keeping Meher Mount for Avatar Meher Baba.
Agnes, a fearless and fiery woman, dedicated 48 years of her life to making sure that Meher Mount would be here for Meher Baba, today and in the future.
Sam L. Ervin, board president and long-time friend of Agnes Baron, shares some specific incidents in Agnes’ life where she fought to keep Meher Mount. Sam spoke at the 2022 Anniversary Sahavas commemorating Meher Baba’s visit on August 2, 1956.
Take a moment now to watch this video that portrays Agnes Baron’s fierce determination, her unvarnished view of events, and her dedication.
Sam L. Ervin at Meher Mount, 2022 Anniversary Sahavas
Introduction to Sam L. Ervin
By Margaret Magnus
One of Sam’s first visits to Meher Mount was on May 19, 1968, to pull weeds on a special day of silence called for by Meher Baba. He continued to visit to pull more weeds, re-roof Baba’s House, cleanup after two fires, chop wood, carry water, clean the pool, and serve Meher Mount. His teen years of hard physical labor on a cattle ranch in Porterville have come in handy.
Then, inspired and encouraged by Agnes to go into social services, he got a Master’s in Social Work in administration and planning in 1975. Sam went on to be the founder and CEO of the non-profit SCAN Health Plan.
There he pioneered an innovative senior program, which required securing six acts of Congress. A key achievement was keeping more than 20,000 frail seniors living safely at home instead of nursing homes. By the time he retired in 2002, the company had grown from 1 employee to 640 employees and served 55,000 seniors in four counties.
After his retirement, Sam returned to Meher Mount to once again pull weeds. By then there was a non-profit board, and he has served as president for the past 20 years, relying on his planning, managing, and CEO skills working in non-profit organizations.
Sam’s focus is continuing Agnes’ promise to hold Meher Mount for Meher Baba, even if it’s through “hell, fire and damnation.”