Blair had many interests. He was a writer, actor, sports fan and book lover. He performed in more than 20 plays in high school, college and community theater.
Blair wrote over two dozen plays. In 1979 his play, Vachel, was performed as part of the Vachel Lindsey 100th Birthday Celebration. This work resulted in Blair receiving the Lincoln Library Writer of the Year Award. In addition to plays, he published a book in 1976 on John G. Neihardt. Plus, he wrote several unpublished novels, several professional articles, a chapter in the book This Vision of This Land and an article on Gen. George B. McClellan for Illinois Times.
Blair loved spending time with his grandchildren. He would take them to Washington Park to feed the ducks, look at flowers and play. He would get on the floor to play Legos with them. He loved reading to them.
Blair was an avid reader. He never left the house without something to read. It was sort of a family joke. In the July 7, 2025, New Yorker magazine there was a cartoon that made us think of Blair. In the cartoon, two angels are sitting on a cloud with one saying, “Do you ever wish you’d brought something to read?”
-Wife Rita Whitney
This article appears in January 1-7, 2026.
