William Hassan Suhrawardi Gebel earned a BA in physics from Johns Hopkins University and a PhD in astrophysics from the University of Wisconsin, followed by postdoctoral work at the University of Chicago’s Yerkes Observatory. He was an assistant professor of astrophysics at SUNY Stony Brook. Leaving academia in 1971, he performed in original shows with the Omega Theater company and worked as a technical writer. Completing an MA in counseling psychology from Leslie University, he then became a psychotherapist. He served as Secretary General of the Sufi Order International until his retirement in 2012.