ABOUT

MISSION:
To collect, preserve, and share Meher Baba’s Divine legacy of materials, artifacts, and words with integrity, love, and transparency for the benefit of humanity.

Meher Archive Collective seeks to create a safe space to preserve knowledge and objects associated with Meher Baba’s advent. Technology changes quickly, and we intend to stay on top of the changes, perhaps causing us to rapidly adapt and convert old stored media into new formats. 

Primary goals: 

1. Prevent loss of any unique Baba treasures (physical or informational). 
2. Preserve and organize materials so they can be available for researchers, centers, and future generations. 
3. Share as much as possible with the public as is appropriate so that all of Baba’s words, ways, original edits of publications, and His cryptic messages are accessible to everyone.​
   

SHARE KNOWLEDGE & RESOURCES 

Meher Archive Collective intends to help other Baba archives in need of any of the services mentioned on page 1. Insofar as our resources allow, trained volunteers can organize work trips to help with on-location projects (scanning, rehousing etc.), as well as perform database work from home. Our goal is to work in close cooperation with all Meher Baba archives for the mutual benefit of His lovers and humanity as a whole.

This close cooperation can lead to “complete” records being gathered digitally, and then stored in strategic locations around the world to reduce the chance of any one regional calamity (fire, war, or natural disaster) from wiping out a whole collection.

The tools and the talent are available. Will you join us in donating time or financial resources to make this vision a reality?
For more information,  email us. 

What we do:

• Surveying -- Work with Baba archives and individuals to find out what is out there and who needs help.
• Planning / Assessments -- How much Baba material does a person have and what resources do they need to archive?
• Rehousing -- Placing physical documents and objects in protective containers in an organized way. 
• Conservation -- Long term care and storage in a safe, climate-controlled facility.
• Digitization -- Scanning paper, transferring old audio / video to digital.
• Digital Archive / Database -- Organization and processing of digital files searchable by date and subject; protecting the files with redundancy, duplication; staying ahead of technological changes
• Sharing / Dissemination -- Ongoing searchable website hub, connecting all Baba archives. Keeping copies of “complete” database in strategic places around the world with a 700 year preservation plan.

THE TEAM

Board of Directors

Evie Lindemann
MAC President and Board Chair

Until recently Evie was a professor in a graduate program of art therapy in Connecticut and taught Bioethics at Yale; she moved to Asheville a few months ago. Evie is a licensed marriage and family therapist and a board-certified art therapist. She teaches courses on the use of mandalas, journal writing, and art making, as a pathway to personal integration and wholeness. In recent years Evie has organized humanitarian art therapy projects in the United States, India, and Jamaica. She currently has an active practice as a printmaking artist, working from the Asheville Print Studio in the River Arts District.

Evie’s journey to Meher Baba began after she graduated from UC Berkeley, when she began a two-year odyssey across Europe and Asia, eventually leading to Meherabad. She has traveled to India very often and is deeply inspired by the unique ways in which the Mandali embodied Baba's teachings. Evie had the good fortune to spend six months in India working with Dr. Goher in the medical clinic at Meherazad, as well as assisting Arnavaz Dadachanji with her spiritual autobiography. She served on the board at Meherana for a number of years in the nineties, and again in 2014-2015.

Bruce Felknor
Director

Having grown up with a grounding in and love for God in the Presbyterian Church, Bruce Felknor’s Baba story began with a “chance” meeting in Germany in 1979 with someone who spoke to him about Meher Baba and gave him a “Don’t worry, be happy – I will help you” card.

Continuing his spiritual search, he found inspiration from the New Testament but still wished to know more about Meher Baba. With that thought, while traveling in Italy, he looked up to find his Baba-contact standing outside the train compartment, looking at him! Not long after he was given the conviction of Baba’s divinity.

Since being caught in Baba’s net, Bruce has been a regular participant in Baba-group activities. He has also served on the boards of the Meher Baba Information Center of Chicago (Chicago being his hometown until moving to Asheville in 2014), Meher Fund, Inc., which supports the Meher Free Dispensary near Meherazad (India), and most recently, the Meher Spiritual Center in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
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Bruce and his wife, Jeanne, met in India in 1995. They live in Asheville and work tirelessly for Meher Baba projects. Bruce is very happy to be participating in Meher Archive Collective, whose mission is to preserve and share Baba’s legacy for those who are drawn to him and those interested to know more of the beautiful advent of the Divine Beloved.

Hugh Huntington
Secretary

Hugh has spent the majority of his career establishing and running two consulting groups in the field of organizational behavior.  Prior to semi-retirement, he was also a Permaculture instructor, raised organic Christmas trees, and developed the first eco-friendly housing community in Madison County.  Hugh continues to be part of a family property management business along with his two daughters.

Hugh's most proud accomplishment to date is his work in aviation flight safety; along with NASA and four airlines he developed models of communication and problem solving for the enhancement of flight safety. 

Hugh’s introduction to Baba’s writings was on his first visit to the Meher Center in Myrtle Beach where he discovered the Discourses; this experience had a profound impact on both his professional work and personal life. 

Hugh is passionate about the need to preserve Baba-related treasures, not least because he believes that the purity of Christianity was compromised due to lost, hidden and/or modified documents.

Hugh loves spending time with his four grandchildren and two daughters, and continues to enjoy private flying; his most recent adventure having been lessons in acrobatic maneuvers.

Anne Barker
Director

Anne has been serving as MAC's Library Committee Chair. She has a Masters Degree in Library Science and has worked in various positions as director of a public library, director of an alcohol and drug abuse resource center, and as outreach librarian over nine branch libraries and a four county bookmobile service. The library received national attention based on its response in assisting evacuees during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Anne worked closely with community organizations in setting up ongoing collaborations following the disasters. Anne brings library administrative skills in support of organizing collections for the MAC community. From assessing donations to writing policies and procedures, she continues to be involved in library operations. Anne enjoys helping people find the right book and searching for information on a wide range of topics.

She is married to Chris Barker and is a proud grandmother. Since 1978 she has followed Meher Baba. Anne is delighted to be in Asheville, and is happy to offer service to the MAC Board.

Evie Lindemann, Chair & MAC President: [email protected]
Hugh Huntington, Secretary: [email protected]
Anne Barker, Director: [email protected] 
​​Bruce Felknor, Director: [email protected]

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STAFF

Scott O'Neil
Treasurer

Scott brings years of experience as a businessman, and also as a former board director of several non-profits including the Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum in Myrtle Beach. He and his wife, Olga, live in Asheville.
Scott was 13 years old when he saw Meher Baba’s picture. In 1973, at the age of 17, he attended his first Baba meeting. Within months, he began a cross-continental pilgrimage to Meherabad. 

During Scott’s travels, he felt an urge to visit the Topkapi Palace Museum in Turkey and see the sacred relics of Mohammed, most importantly, the hair from Mohammed’s beard over which wars were purportedly fought. This began Scott’s awareness of the importance of all treasures associated with the Avatar. 

Baba’s sister Mani encouraged Scott in his efforts to responsibly collect Baba’s treasures and gave him items for this purpose. Scott shared:
“Over the years I have been entrusted with many Baba treasures, so I have a strong interest in the success of MAC. My concern for Baba treasures is in the long-term care, sharing, and availability of these items. MAC was formed with archiving as the primary purpose and is naturally oriented to preservation and sharing. 

Importantly, MAC is located in a geographically stable area, and there is a large and growing Baba community in the Asheville area. Another key factor is that the organization has a path for ongoing succession.  
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MAC is a valuable resource to other Baba centers doing archival work. Baba stressed harmony in His work. MAC complements and does not compete with other centers. Now is the time for this important focus on Baba treasures and information, and we’re the ones being called to act. I am very happy to join the MAC team in these efforts.” [email protected]