And now, there’s Pritam Singh, 35, who is dedicated to turning and aged military facility steeped in history into a thriving sub-city that preserves the past and caters to the present.

On March 31, 1974 the U.S. Navy formally decommissioned of the base.  Then followed a dozen years filled with bureaucratic indecision, red tape and general Washington, D.C., snafus.  Finally, the Truman Annex, a 44-acre parcel plus the 55-acre Tank Island, was put on the public auction block.

The General Service Administration in Atlanta published a colorful brochure to entice bidders, requiring that each must pre-register, place a deposit of $250,000 and submit a bid in writing.

Seventeen parties responded.

Among them was an ex-Catholic whose given name was Paul LaBombard from Fitchburg, Mass.  During the 1960s, he had delved deeply into politics, fighting for social justice, political equality and other issues of the day.

But LaBombard grew disillusioned with the leftist movement of the flower children and began traveling the world in search of answers.  In 1971, he was baptized a Sikh and took the name Pritam (God’s beloved) Singh (royal lion).

Florida Today- September, 1987

Developer put public in Little White House

By: Careth Ellingson