Leonard Baron, Pharmacist and World Traveler, Dies at 90

Leonard “Len” Baron, 90, who traveled throughout the world to foster cross-cultural understanding, died recently in Sonoma County, California due to heart and respiratory failure.

Len grew up in the city of Philadelphia, PA. He was the older of two sons to Paul and Pearl Baron, who immigrated from Ukraine in the 1920s, who ran a corner grocery store in the neighborhoods of Port Richmond and South Philadelphia. Len graduated from Central High School, and then earned a Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy from what was then the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science.

After graduation, Len joined the “Hippie Trail,” and traveled mainly by bus from the United Kingdom to Eastern Europe, Greece, and east to Turkey. He then went through Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, and finally landed in southern India and Sri Lanka, where he became a Buddhist monk for many years. Len wrote an unpublished memoir about his life and travels.

During his time abroad, Len was also a teacher in Switzerland. When he returned to the United States, he lived in Hawaii and in California. Len believed in cross-cultural exchange, and volunteered with a youth group in Hawaii, where he was colloquially known as “P. Santa.”

Len had lifelong interests in alternative medicine, gardening, and politics. Len and his brother, Herman, also traveled throughout the United States in their youth. They visited Civil War battlefields and New England covered bridges, and also went to Europe and the Middle East.

In his later years, Len frequently watched classic movies from the local library, which harkened back to his childhood going to Philadelphia’s opulent movie houses for Sunday matinees.

Len is survived by his sister-in-law, Dot, and his nephew, Steve. Herman predeceased him. Len’s caregiver, Megan, and her family members Linda and Nancy, spent many years taking him under their wing and keeping him on his toes.

There will be a private service. Donations can be made to the Friends of the Sebastopol Library.

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