I’ve been most fortunate. There is a saying in martial arts that when the student is ready the master appears. That has been a Hallmark if my life. Sometimes memories come charging at one right out of the blue and this one was completely unexpected. When I was in College at the university of Maine it was the Portland campus I started at. It wasxa typical commuter school. It was close to home and I’d walk. On my way I went by the beautiful gardens of Temple Beth El. I used to sit and admire the plantings in the garden and one time there was a gentleman tending to the plants. He approached me and we chatted. I asked about the garden and he pointed out some of the plants and told me a bit about them. I made it a point to visit the gardens going to and from school. The gentleman was there occasionally andc we’d engage in discussions of current events, of philosophy and the sciences.

The Dean of Students at the College started an discussion group at lunch once a week. It was by invitation only and frequently had a guest from the community. The guest was often a leader of note and we’d discuss all kinds of topics over lunch. One day I showed up for our lunch and the gentleman I had been talking to in the Gardens of Temple Beth El wascsested in the place of honor to the right of the Dean. He was Introduced as Rabbi Harry Sky. In the introduction the Dean told us that Rabbi Sky was a equal rights activist. That Rabbi Sky had marchef with Dr. Martin Luther King in Selma and was very close to Dr King. Rabbi Sky was also an activist involved with the women’s rights movement. It was the mid to late 1960s and we were in the middle of the rights movements as well as the antiwar movements and Rabbi Sky was heavily involved. All of a sudden I saw our garden talks in a very different perspective. Rabbi Sky was there in the flesh. His words took on a much more authoritative tone to me. We would still chat in the gardens but I learned much from the man. He caused the formation of many of my life’s principals. He never proselytized or tried to convert me he just kept it open and honest. I left for The Air Force and didn’t see Rabbi Sky again but the impression he left on me certainly remains. Rabbi Sky was one of my favorite mentors and thinking of our discussions in the beautiful gardens still warms my heart.