George leonard biography

George Leonard, president emeritus of Esalen Institute and one of the giants of the Human Potential Movement through the second half of the 20th century, died peacefully at his home in Mill Valley, California, surrounded by friends and family, on January 6, 2010. Often called the "third founder" of Esalen for his decades of leading contributions to the Institute and its work, George Leonard was one of the leading voices of the past two generations in shaping American culture and our world today.

George's fertile legacy will live on in his beautiful family, his contributions to public journalism and social change, his 12 books which continue to spark programs and trainings today, his founding role and research (with Michael Murphy) in the programs of Integral Transformative Practice, which have changed thousands of lives over the years—and in the transformational work and mission of the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California and around the world, which he labored so long and creatively to nurture and to inspire.

Here at Esalen, we will miss George's sparking, challenging presence, his amazing physical discipline, his endlessly energetic spirit, his inspiring example of the active creative life into his ninth decade, and his constant reminders that, as he liked to put it, "every idea, every intention, every new thought is a new generative form in the universe," and that as human creators, we are tapping and manifesting only a small part of an unlimited potential for imagination, transformation, and social progress.

The following biographical sketch will give you a few highlights of his exemplary creative life and spirit.

George Leonard co-founded Integral Transformative Practice (ITP) with Michael Murphy. He was the author of numerous books on human possibilities and social change, including Education and Ecstasy, The Transformation, The Ultimate Athlete, The Silent Pulse, The End of Sex, Mastery, andThe Way of Aikido. The 1995 bo

George Leonard, a native of Georgia, graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1948 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and went on to earn Doctor of Humanities degrees from John F. Kennedy University, Lewis and Clark College, and Saybrook Graduate School and Research Center. When he joined the editorial team at Look Magazine in 1953, a transformative path was unfolding that would not only change his life but those of an entire culture.

Reassigned to San Francisco in 1962, George was completing a five-month-long journey of discovery for a major magazine article, interviewing brain researchers, psychologists, psychiatrists, biologists, philosophers, and theologians on human potential when he met fellow ITP co-founder, Michael Murphy at a dinner party. Michael’s Esalen Institute had opened three years prior, and both he and George were passionate about tapping into our shared human potential.

A Partnership in the Human Potential Movement

It was during that first encounter in February of 1965, that they committed to a partnership in human transformation, and in the brainstorming sessions and discussions that followed, they launched the human potential movement. George would go on to become deeply involved in Esalen Institute.

His childhood in a segregated South motivated him to begin a series of interracial transformative experiences in partnership with Price Cobbs, held at Esalen’s coastal setting. The 24-hour encounter not only pushed the boundaries of social reform but also emphasized the importance of long-term practice for transformation to take hold.

During his seventeen years as senior editor for Look Magazine, George covered the Civil Rights Movement, politics, foreign affairs, and social change, while winning an unprecedented number of national awards for education writing. Driven by the belief that all of us have untapped potential to be our best selves, George became even more involved in the Human Potential Movement as vice president, and then p

American writer and educator (1923–2010)

For other people named George Leonard, see George Leonard (disambiguation).

George Burr Leonard (August 9, 1923 – January 6, 2010) was an American writer, editor, and educator who wrote extensively about education and human potential. He served as President Emeritus of the Esalen Institute, past-president of the Association for Humanistic Psychology, co-founder of Integral Transformative Practice International, and an editor of Look Magazine. He was a United States Army Air Corps pilot, and held a fifth-degree black belt in aikido. Typical of his philosophy, life's work, and the times (1960s), Leonard stated: "Western civilization has been a 2,000 year long exercise in robbing people of the present. People are now learning the powerful joys that hide in the narrow place of the hourglass, the eternal moment. Here is their golden learning: to see - really see - spring flowers; to feel - really feel - the grace of love."

Leonard co-founded the Aikido of Tamalpais dojo, originally in Mill Valley, later in Corte Madera, California. He also developed the Leonard Energy Training (LET) practice for centering mind, body, and spirit. Leonard died at his home in Mill Valley, California on January 6, 2010, after a long illness. He was 86 years old.

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American politician

For other men with similar names, see George Leonard (disambiguation).

George Leonard (July 4, 1729 – July 26, 1819) was an American lawyer, jurist, and politician from Norton, Massachusetts. Besides service on state court benches and in both houses of the state legislature, he represented Massachusetts in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Biography

Leonard was born in Norton, Massachusetts on July 4, 1729, the son of George Leonard (1698–1778) and Rachel (Clapp) Leonard. He was educated locally and graduated from Harvard College in 1748. Leonard received his Master of Arts degree from Harvard in 1751. He began the study of law while serving as Bristol County's register of probate, an office he held from 1749 to 1783. He was admitted to the bar in 1750 and practiced in Norton. From 1764 to 1766, Leonard served as a member of the Massachusetts Provincial Assembly. From 1770 to 1775 he was a member of the Massachusetts Executive Council.

From 1784 to 1790, Leonard was judge of the probate court in Bristol County. He was judge