Correction to error about Gerald Heard in the PBS film America's First Guru

In the recent PBS documentary about Swami Vivekananda, America’s First Guru, incorrect statements were made regarding Gerald Heard’s donations to the Vedanta Society of Southern California, beginning at approx. the 1:21:00 point in the film. The film states, “Heard donated a lot of his land, providing monasteries and temples in Hollywood, Santa Barbara and Pasadena.”

These statements are inaccurate. Gerald Heard in fact donated only the 291-acre Trabuco College property in Orange County, California to the Vedanta Society, which was formally dedicated on Sept. 7, 1949 as the Ramakrishna Monastery. Heard did not provide “monasteries and temples in Hollywood, Santa Barbara and Pasadena.”

We were never at any time contacted by the filmmaker. On June 13, 2024, I attempted to contact the filmmaker to notify them of these errors, but I was unsuccessful. I have notified the Minister of the Vedanta Society of Southern California of these errors, and I am posting this correction on our Gerald Heard website. I feel it is vitally important to provide correct, factual, and accurate historical information that conforms to the facts.

-John Roger Barrie