Donald (“Don”) W. Blair, beloved son, husband, and brother, passed away at age 64 on October 23, 2018, after a brief battle with cancer. Don was a native of Spencer, Nebraska, a small town of about 400 people. As a boy, Don and his mother would look at floor plans of homes together, an activity seeding his path to eventually receiving a Bachelor of Science in Architecture degree in 1977 from the University of Nebraska and a Master of Architecture degree in 1981 from Yale University.
After graduation, Don worked for HOK Architects in Dallas, Texas. He eventually followed his true passion and became a professor teaching the basics of architectural and graphic design to college students. Don’s longest and most meaningful teaching time was at Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Georgia, a historically black college where he taught from 1989 through 2002. Don founded and was the director of the architecture program there. He would enrich his students’ learning experience by taking them on field trips to places such as Biltmore mansion in Asheville, North Carolina. Don worked tirelessly to ensure that his students learned the basics of design, and many of his students proceeded into graduate programs of architecture. In addition to Morris Brown, Don either taught or was a visiting critic at Rhode Island School of Design, State University of New York at Buffalo, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Southern Polytechnic University. Don also worked as an Assistant Dean at the Art Institute of Atlanta, and an independent designer.
Don will be missed for his sense of humor, loyalty, and intelligence, but most of all for his comforting presence. He is survived by Coleen Blair, his wife of 44 years, of Atlanta, Georgia, his sisters, Ellie Beman and Paulette Blair, of Canby Minnesota, and his niece, Leah Beman, of Marshall, Minnesota. He was preceded in death by his parents, Wayne and Eunice Blair. The family will receive visitors on November 3 at 2:00 p.m. at A. S. Turner & Sons Funeral Home. A memorial service will follow at 3:00 p.m. A separate service will be held in Spencer, Nebraska on November 10. In lieu of flowers please make a donation to the American Cancer Society in his memory.
Saturday, November 3, 2018
Starts at 2:00 pm (Eastern time)
A.S. Turner & Sons
Saturday, November 3, 2018
Starts at 3:00 pm (Eastern time)
A.S. Turner & Sons
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