Our Rich History: Dr. George A. Blair, philosopher, author; a Renaissance Man, he tended to think big

By Tom Ward
Thomas More University

Part 31 of Our Series: “Retrospect and Vista II: Thomas More College/University. 1971-2021” 

Dr. George Blair was not a man who shied away from stating his opinions, and he had the philosophical training to support what he said with well-reasoned arguments. In addition to being a longtime faculty member of the Thomas More College Philosophy Department and a prolific author, Dr. Blair entered into many of the discussions and disputes regarding the direction that the institution would take; in fact, his was one of the few voices that spoke in criticism of the proposed Venture Program following the study completed by the Educational Policies Task Force in the early 1970s (see these NKyTribune stories: venture program and progressive curriculum. Subsequent developments bore him out. He did not, however, seek controversy for its own sake, but out of a deep devotion to Catholicism and a dedication to the betterment of TMC.

(Dr. George A. Blair. TMU Archives)

George Blair was a native of Watertown, Massachusetts, where he was born in 1934. It seems that he had a religious inclination at a young age because soon after high school he entered the Jesuit’s Boston College on a scholarship, and after his freshman year, entered the Jesuit novitiate at Shadowbrook Seminary in Stockbridge (the seminary was destroyed by fire in 1956 while he was a novice there). He spent eight years as a Jesuit, though he was never ordained a priest. While a Jesuit novice, Blair attended Boston College, at which he attained both a B.A. and M.A. in Philosophy in 1958 and 1959 respectively. He also attained a Ph.L. in philosophy from Weston College at Weston, Massachusetts in 1959. Around this time, he withdrew from the Jesuit Order, determined to remain a layman. Because he had studied astronomy in college, he briefly served as editorial assistant for Sky and Telescope magazine in 1961. Blair earned a Ph.D. in Philosophy at Fordham University in 1963, at which time he also met and soon married his wife, Elena Duverges, a student from Argentina (they had two children, Paul and Michelle).
 
The young couple moved to the Cincinnati area where they both began teaching Philosophy, George at Xavier University and Elena at Villa Madonna College in Covington. While teaching at Xavier, Dr. Blair showed his propensity for stirring up controversy and ran afoul of the Jesuits. As he put it, “I was hired (explicitly as an ‘original thinker’) for two years. . .but then was let go (after passing a heresy examination) because I actually dared to think originally” (“Who I am and how to contact me”).

Elena left Villa Madonna in 1965, and George went there in her stead. Apparently, he had to convince the administration of VMC that his teachings at Xavier were not heretical (he had clarified for the Jesuits their misinterpretation of his idea that God was responsible for evil) (Interview with Msgr. Twaddell, Oct. 14, 2021), and they gave him the chance to teach in the Philosophy Department, thus beginning his thirty-four-year tenure with the college. He spent many of those years as chair of the department. During part of that time, he also taught Philosophy at the Seminary of St. Pius X in Erlanger, where the seminarians he taught jokingly called his philosophy “Blairianism” (Recollection of Tom Ward). In one of his non-teaching roles, he spent many years as a member of the Freshman Advising Board.

Dr. Blair portrays college namesake, St. Thomas More, cutting a cake for the Diamond Anniversary in 1996, with Dr. Raymond Hebert behind him. (TMU Archives)

Simply rehashing his biographical data does not begin to do justice to Dr. George Blair and what made him such a notable professor. One of the most outstanding traits of his teaching career was that he wrote his own texts for the courses he taught, which he sold to his students for only enough money to cover the cost of production. After having been “basically studying Thomism in a systematic way” (“Who I am and how to contact me”) during his time in school, he developed his own perspectives that he conveyed to his students. It may seem somewhat pompous to believe that one’s own writings were better than any standard texts used by other professors, but his insights were the result of his deep intellectual delving into human nature and morality. And he clearly gained recognition – Dr. Blair’s prominence in the field led to his being elected as president of the Kentucky Philosophical Association in 1983. His achievements included reading many philosophical papers at various education venues throughout the country and having articles published in several philosophical journals.

According to Msgr. Gerald Twaddell, a longtime colleague of Dr. Blair in the Philosophy Department, his philosophy was basically Thomistic (the philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas), though he updated the Latin language in which the thirteenth-century Scholastic wrote to make it accessible to twentieth-century English readers. In doing so, Dr. Blair was always “careful in his thinking and meticulous in his writing” (Interview with Msgr. Twaddell, Oct. 14, 2021)

Dr. Blair’s writings and interests extended well beyond Philosophy, though. Many of his accomplishments and aspirations were highlighted in a proposal he submitted for a sabbatical during the 1989-1990 academic year. He knew several languages, including the koine Greek in which most of the New Testament was written. One of the several projects he proposed for his sabbatical was to complete his own translation of the New Testament from Greek into English, though without using the typically used English words that he considered non-literal renderings of certain Greek words – his translation would be “on radically different principles … completely avoiding translating the Greek terms into words which are now used in an exclusively Biblical or religious context, when the Greek is not a technical religious term…”; for example, he used “students” instead of the more religious-sounding “disciples” when denoting followers of Jesus. His knowledge of Greek also enabled him to translate Plato’s Republic, no doubt in his own inimitable style.

It is reasonable to suppose that when he wrote his 1963 doctoral dissertation on the use of the concepts energia & entelexeia in Aristotle, he read the ancient philosopher in his native Greek. Another of his projects was to revise that dissertation for publication, which the University of Ottawa eventually did in 1992 (Philosophy Department Annual Report, 1991-1992).

His most ambitious goal for his sabbatical would be to continue working on a multi-volume exposition of his philosophy that he titled Modes of the Finite. These books were important for him to complete because “rightly or wrongly, I think that eventually my view will catch on and spread through the world and the rest of history …” (Sabbatical Proposal). It seems that he viewed this work as a compendium of all the ideas already contained in the various texts he had written over the years for his Philosophy courses. When he finally completed this Herculean task during his 1990 sabbatical, the three volumes filled nearly 2,000 pages (Philosophy Department Annual Report, 1990-1991).

Flyer for Dr. Blair’s dramatic readings of St. Paul. TMU Archives. )

Dr. Blair’s literary output included a self-published novel, Acosmia (no date). As described by his daughter Michelle in his 2013 obituary, it was a science fiction novel about “his son and daughter traveling to the planet Jupiter in 2001”; unlike most science fiction, though, it contained many philosophical discussions. He also wrote a play titled Longinus, featuring a Roman soldier who had been present at the crucifixion of Christ; on a similar religious theme, he wrote seven novels each depicting the life of Christ as experienced by seven different disciples.
 
His talents revolved around more than merely writing, although in art, acting and music his themes were primarily philosophical or religious. Useful aids in his Philosophy courses were his video-recorded “interviews” with philosophers, in which Dr. Blair would ask questions of a student or another faculty member dressed up and speaking as Plato, Aristotle or St. Augustine. He also did dramatic readings of certain New Testament writings, such as the Gospel of St. John and some Epistles of St. Paul, using, of course, his own translations. His acting roles included the college’s namesake, St. Thomas More, as well as one of his favorite authors, Charles Dickens. Other artistic endeavors included painting, often with a religious theme, and singing in the Cincinnati May Festival Chorus with such famous conductors as James Levine, Leonard Bernstein, and Robert Shaw.

It seems that his Catholic faith was always paramount among his interests, although his views had changed over the years from being a liberal to becoming a conservative in religion as well as politics (Blair Obituary). His emphasis on Christian morality led him to a vociferous opposition to abortion, and it is easy to imagine that he would have bested any pro-choice speaker in a debate. He was also an active member of St. Cecilia Parish in Cincinnati where he served as a lector. 
 
Further evidence of Dr. Blair’s commitment to the Church was his proposal for a college program he titled “Laicon,” which he designed for fostering committed, effective lay Christians. The Laicon proposal was ambitious because it would require five years for completion, which he realized would limit its appeal to the average entering student. Along with regular core courses they would take in conjunction with their chosen majors, the students in Laicon would have to take one additional Philosophy course and one Theology course – for which they would not even receive credit – per semester, courses that would be designed around various aspects of life in contemporary society so that students would learn to “integrate Christianity with their career” (Blair’s undated “Sketch” of Laicon). The courses were to be non-credit so it would be clear that the students were not majoring in either Philosophy or Theology. The program would be open to only six students, both men and women, per semester, though the special courses would also be open to other students (Undated Blair cover letter to department chairpersons, ca. 1968).

Dr. Blair realized the fact that anyone who entered the Laicon would have to spend five years instead of four at TMC and take extra courses for which they would have to pay but receive no academic credits. That would seriously limit the number of prospective students who would take an interest in the program. But he believed such students existed. He made it clear that the program was an “experiment” that could collapse before enrollees could finish the required five years (undated Laicon brochure).

Brochure for the Laicon Program proposed by Dr. Blair. (TMU Archives)

During 1968 and 1969, the Laicon proposal was several times laid before administration and faculty committees, some members of which questioned its appropriateness. The main point of contention was that Dr. Blair envisioned only one professor teaching all the Philosophy classes and one other professor teaching all the Theology classes; of course, he planned on being the one Philosophy professor.

The person who raised the principal objections to Laicon was Fr. Charles Rooks, the Academic Dean. Although Fr. Rooks was concerned that it would be hard to staff Laicon, he also strongly opposed the idea of only one teacher, as did others. At a meeting of the Administration Committee on September 22, 1969, the decision was made to accept the Laicon Program, though with the proviso that an understanding would be reached with Dr. Blair regarding “the need for multi-faculty participation in the philosophy and theology offerings.”

In response to the Administration Committee’s decision, Dr. Blair wrote an undated memo to Fr. Rooks (probably written in early October) in which he explained his reasons for insisting on a single professor for both the Philosophy and Theology components of Laicon. He pointed out that, although he normally favored students taking a number of different professors in any given field, this would work against the objectives of Laicon. This was because the nature of regular academic courses in Philosophy was speculative so that students were provided with some understanding of various viewpoints, whereas the Laicon Program was mainly practical for students to put into practice a particular viewpoint. He emphasized that “Laicon is a school of lay spirituality, not of Christian theory,” and each view must be consistent within itself, which meant that there must be a “single (Blair underlining) guiding orientation” with one teacher for all courses. To his thinking, one professor was the “sine qua non” of the program, and to reject this aspect was to reject the entire program (Undated Blair memo to Rooks, ca. Oct. 1969).

But Dr. Blair’s argument did not win the day. At the October 20, 1969, Administration Committee meeting, Fr. Rooks still opined that having only one professor “would be a poor teaching policy” and the committee continued to require fuller departmental participation. Dr. Blair apparently let the matter drop for a time, though there was further correspondence on Laicon between him and Fr. Rooks in late 1970 and early 1971.

As far as I have been able to ascertain, the Laicon Program was never implemented, even though it was tentatively approved. This was perhaps because an agreement was never reached about the number of professors who were to teach, though it is also likely that not enough students showed an interest, a possibility that Dr. Blair had recognized all along. Fr. Rooks had even made his acceptance contingent upon Dr. Blair providing evidence of their interest (Rooks memo to Blair, Jan. 29, 1971).

Fr. Charles Rooks, Academic Dean. (TMU Archives, McKenrick photo)

The Laicon proposal illustrates George Blair’s inclination to think big, sometimes in regard to matters in which others would not share his enthusiasm. In his own mind, “I’m convinced that nothing like what I envision exists in the Church … and it is only a matter of time before something very like my idea is tried. I think we ought to be the first …” (Undated Blair cover letter to department chairpersons). Apparently, others did not agree. Perhaps the dispute between Dr. Blair and the Administration Committee involved a perception that he was arrogantly promoting himself as the only one capable of directing such a program, though he did admit that the essence of Laicon would be retained even if someone else taught the Philosophy courses (Blair memo to Rooks, Dec. 14, 1970). The rejection of one of his ideas may be something he came to expect.

Dr. Blair seemed to have an opinion about everything happening at the college. As a member of the Academic Affairs Committee, he offered his four-page proposal for a faculty evaluation policy to a subcommittee created for devising a plan. He wrote numerous memos to faculty and administration, usually prefaced by a note “printed at my own expense.” As already reported in earlier parts of this history, Dr. Blair stood against the tide of other faculty voting for the Venture Program.  Other faculty may have considered him something of a contrarian, but he seemed to believe it his duty to speak his mind regarding anything of importance.

Dr. Blair retired from Thomas More in 1999 and spent an eventful retirement until his death on October 11, 2013. For those who knew him, George Blair, with his wide-ranging interests and talents, was a colorful and unforgettable member of the Thomas More Community. As he said of himself, “One of my objects in life is to demonstrate that the Renaissance Man is not an impossibility even in the present age. How successful I’ve been or will be is not for me to judge” (Blair Obituary). I believe that he closely approximated the Renaissance Man, and as such, he left his mark on the academic and intellectual climate of the college.

(Most biographical information is from the obituary sent to TMC faculty and staff by Fr. Gerald Twaddell, written by Blair’s daughter, Michele Hays, on Oct. 14, 2013, and from “Who I am and how to contact me” from Blair’s website www.fundamentalissues.net).

Tom Ward is the Archivist of Thomas More University. He holds an MA in History from Xavier University, Cincinnati. He can be contacted at wardt@thomasmore.edu.

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