Hampden Sydney College - Kaleidoscope Yearbook (Hampden Sydney, VA)

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Ilia rmnriam Paoif. Wixixrigu. BLAIR, A. M., D. L. HIS honored and l21ll1G11lEtl gentlenian departed this life at Atlantic City, X. .l., o11 Sm-ptenilier 12, 111051. Much the larger part. of his adult life was spent in the service of l1is alma, mater tiHanipden-Sidney Collegej, with whieli from early youth to the end he was closely identilied. By lineage he was descended froni nu-n of eliaracter and culture, of educa- tion, 1't'l'l11t,'1llf,'Ht and devotion to duty, who froni tl1e pulpit and the teacherls desk, for not far froni a century, did niuch i11 Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Virginia, to Illlfbllld nien, to aid in founding institutions and i11 establishing and niaintaining the liberties of the people of the United States. Walter Blair was born in Richmond U11 the 10th day of November, Ile was lllfi son of Mr. NYalter D. Blair, one of its honorable and influential citizens: grandson of Bev. John D. Blair tliarson Blairj, who labored for years as teacher a11d preaeher in llanover County Hlltl afterwards becanie the first lj1'CSlbfl.O1'lii11 pastor in our capital eityg Fllltl great-graiidson of Rev. J ol1n Blair -a native of Irelaiid-preacher and principal of the fanious school established by his older brother, Rev. Samuel Blair, at Faggls Manor, Pa., which sent out SllCl1 nien as tl1e great. Samuel Davies, and, under God, did so Inueh for tl1e ehurch and tl1e world i11 training ministers of tl1e gospel a11d other intelligent and patriotic citizens, through whoni lllillly Christian schools and colleges were founded both i11 the North a11d South. At the age of seventeen years this youth entered the junior class at Hainp- den-Sidney Uollege, from which he graduated with distinction i11 1855, after which he served for two sessions as tutor lllltl teacher of the grainniar school. He was then appointed assistant professor of ancient languages in the college, i11 which position l1e also reniained two years, when t1SGOj he was elected pro- fessor of tl1e Latin language with leave of absence to study abroad. He spent a year or two at Berlin and Leipzig Uiliversities, Gerinany, at the end of which lllllf' he returned to X'1l'y,'l11l21, enlisted i11 the Rielnnond Howitzers, and later beeaine sergeant-inajtir i11 Colonel Cabt-ll's artillery battalion, which position he held tliroughout the war. At the close of the hostilities he returned to Hainp- tll,'11'Sl4l11t V, took up his work in Latin and afterwards i11 German, eontinuing at the head of this tlCll3l'l1llt'l1t until tl1e year 1H5l6, when, because of impaired eyesight, he felt innpelled to resign, Hllfl was elected professor emeritus. In. 18511-1 he renioved to lliclnnond, where tho remainder of his life was spent i11 the bosom of his family and sur1-ounded by congenial friends and kinspeople. 26

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1111ys 1-1111111 1111t f11111 llllll... S11 XVlll'1l w1- XVlS1l1'11 T11 l111v11 il 1itt11'- 1-xt1'11 'fllll w1- 2l1NVilf'S i111'it1-11 111111 t11 '111111 1151110 11111it111'v 111-1'1i111'11, 1111t th1- fllll w1111t 4111 111111 XVHS 11111'1-1' 1'1-111,11't1f11. The 1'1'1,1fess1'11' 11f N2lTlll'tll S1-i0111.-11 was -111sc111h ll. Wils1.111. 11 1,G1111Sf'lV2lI1l2l P11-s1,1yt1-1'i1111: his wife 21 NV1l111,1l'UXV, of the S1'11t1-11 family of that 1111111e: his s1111. 111111' 1Y1111111'11xV xVilSHll, P1'0sl111'11t of Pl'i111'1't1'111 1Yl1iV1'11'sit.V. l,r1'1f. XVi1s1111 was t111l. w1-11 f11r1111-11 in b1111.1' 211111 111i11111. with 11 l12l11LlSl'lHl9 1-l11ssi1' f111'1- 111111 1111lishQ1l 1112111119181 21 1-1110 tQ111'l111r 111111 21 great s111'1111'111ize1'. C. S. V11-11111910 was t111,- P1-11f11ss1,11' 11f Math 3 111111 1111 knew S11 111111,-11 111111 I s11 little that it g'111'1- 1110 the SlllV4'1'HU when I 11111ko1i1 11t hi111 111 thc c111ss1-1111111. He was G1-11. 1.0195 chief 11f stuff, 111111 HffC'1'XV31'11S p1'1'1f0ss111' 111 the 1111111-1'sit.v of Xvlfgllllil. 111 spite 11f 1ll.X' 11v111'si1111 t1Q1 111111 11is1ike 11f M11tl11-11111ti1's. hc 111111 1 were XV2ll'1ll frimicls, 1j111t s1111111ti111c-s QV1-11 111111' I 1111111111 if 1111 my fright is g111111. The SIV111111 of Yi1'gi11i11 1111-t 111 the i'111111q1- church ill the fall of 18553 111111 1111- ST1l11ll1fS w1+r1- 11ee1'11.v i11111r11ss1111 111' th1- lll'1'2ll'l1ll1g1 s11 lll11f'll s11 that 111-1, M, 17, H11g11 111141 111-ssc S. :h1'll1S1l'2l11 1'1 11111111111 111'11r Sllllfliiy 111111 1'1111ti11111111 th1- 1lll'l'flllg'S. The 1-1'111t1'11st hetwf-G11 th11s11 tw11 111i11ist1-rs was 1111'1st striking'-wthe 11119 1111 g1'11cO, the 1Qlfl1C'l' 1111 11wkw11r11111-ss. Dr. 1h1'111SfC'2l11.S f111'1'1rit1- gc-st11r11 was t151 h11l11 1111 the 11111111 of his 11-ft 1131111 111111 11111-11 11t it with th1- f11r111i11ger 11f the right, but he was Rl IJUXVC'1'flll 1D1'C'i1Cl.1C1' of the G11s1111l, n1111 the- Holy Spirit was p1'11s1'111t 111 .Xluiighty P11wer 211111 thc awe 31111 hush 11f eternity was 1111 the Hill. All 111'1ise, sports and 11-vity c1111s11112 the p1'1w1-rs 11f tho world t11 0111111- 111111 1111111 1111 the st11111111ts, 111111 f1'11111 sc11r11s uf 111-11it1111t 11011115 there w1-11t 1111 the Cry: What 11111st I 1111 111 1111 s111'e-11 E H11w 11111115' 111111111 to Christ thou, 111111 later, l li1111NV 111'1t, hut I llflxv rc'- 1'111l three st11111111ts who Tl1011 f11111111 Christ 111111 His C1111 t1j1 the 1l1l1llSfl'f'5R6X'S. Drs. A. C. II1l111iillS, T. W. II111'1l1111' 3111.1 .L W. Pitzer. REV. A. XV. PITZER, D. D., L. L. D.

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O11 April 27, 1574, P1'11f1-ss111' Blair w11s 111111'ri1-11 t11 Miss Elllxll D1111111111 Smith, of 13111ti111111'e, who, witl1 111111 tl2lllQllTl'1', Miss 112111111 t'. 11111113 s111'1'i1'es hi111. lt, 1111s 1101-11 the g111111 f1'11'tu111- of 1111- XV1'11I'l' 11,1 1illUXV this l'Xl'11lIl1il1'f' 1111111 s1i1111ewl111t i11ti11111t111y for the past tifty-f11111' yf'i1l'S. 11111111 the 111111 f'l11l'l'l'l1 1111 his studies 11t lv. T. SC11111Jill'f', tl11-11 l11e11t1111 11t l11111111111-11-Si11111-'1', the other t111111 up his work at the eollege. '11111'U11g11 11111. 11111111211 111111 lif1-11111g f1'1l'1141, Prof, L. l.. H1111111111y, we were 1j1'l,11lg11t t11g1-t111-1' 11t 1111 early 1111y, 111111 11s the .V021l'S 1111115 1'1111e11 by 11ur 1-1-111ti1111s have be1-11111e- 1-111se1' 111111 1'11'1s1-1', 11s we lL'21l'lll'l1 to kuuw 1-111111 other better, 1111til iu 1ooki11g 11111-k 1 c1111 1-111-1111 1111 1l1U1'0 111l111f11'11, 11'l1111fl1l. l1111111r1111le 111111 11'11S1'1VO1'1lly Christi1111 1111111 111111111g 1111 llly RCtl11i1l111il11l'l'S. As 21 sf-h1Q1l111', P1'11fess11r Blair st1Q11'111 i11 the f1'Ull11 1'il11k, l12lV111g.1' 111-1111 111111'1- t,h1111 0111111 1111111111 t11 take up w111'k witl1 i11stit11ti1'111s of larger l'l11,1HWl11C1l1 111111 wi11er 1'e1111t11ti1111 than 1l111111111011-Si111111'1'. Early i11 his p1'Uf0SS1U11il1 career he published a little. book 1111 Latin pr1111u111'i11ti1111, which 1-1-eeivecl wi11e 11p1'11'11v111, exerted 21 large i111111e111'e 111111 1Jl'U1'1g1l11 its H1l1l1H1' i11t11 t11111-11 with lllilllf' uf tl1e 11111st, seh111111'1y 1111111 i11 the COl1111l'f'. Not long 2lf191' he 1'eeeiv1-11 the l11111111'111'y degree of D11ct1'11' of Literature f1'O111 NN'21Shi11g1U11 111111 Leo 1711ive1'sity. ,Xs 21 t1-111-l1e1' he w11s 1Dll11C1ll21l, l'Cglllk1l', C2l1'Gfll1, 1-1111si11e1'11te 111111 1l10l'1lI1g11, 11e111111111i11g' uf 11is stu111111ts 1111 ilt,16'1111211'G st111111111'11 of 11tt11i111111-11t. As a 111Gll11J01' of the 1:111- lege faculty, while i1111epe111le11t, i11 the f111'111ati1111 111111 expressi1'111 of his 11pi11i1111s, he XVQIS 21lYVi1f'S sy111p11tl1eti1f with the j1ll11Qll10111S of his eolleagiies, 111111 ever 1'U2lK,1y t1'1 e1111eu1' i11 the 1lli1111tC1li111C9 of l11w 111111 Ol'L1C1' 111111 i11 the 11111'1pti1111 uf such l11CilSl11'9S 11s 1111pe111'e11 to 0111111111011 to the 1111111111-tio11 of 11111111y c11111'11et1-1' 111111 S1ll111011S h1111its 1111 the part uf t111-1 f'U111l1 e11t1'11st1111 to 11ur 0111-11. As E1 gf-11t11-1111111 he was 11111111tr11si1'e, 111111 at iirst s1'11111-wl111t 1'est1'11i111111, 1111t 1111si1y 21Pl11'Oi1k'11Cl1 111111 evi11ei11g' every e1e111e11t t1111t goes t11 111111111 up t11e 111L2'1.1'1,111'11 111111 we-11-111-1111 s11ei11l i11sti11et, 3114.1 111 f11st1-1' XVllil1l1VG1' is 11111111te11 111 evoke p11rit,y, integrity 111111 l111p11i11ess. .Ks il clll1'1ST12l11 he XVIIS 1'Ggll1211' i11 2l11G11llZlIlC'O 13111 the 111'1'1i111111e1-s of 11iVi11e 1VU1'S11l1j, gc-111-1'1i111s i11 111i11ist11ri11g t11 the 1111111' 211111 other b1-11e1'1'111111t 11bj1-11ts which 2111l'HC'1ZGC1 l1is 11tte11ti1111, but wholly 11ist1'11stf111 of 1l1l1lSl'1f for 11115' gr11u1111 of s111v11ti1111 111111 l'l'S1111g 111111111 1111 the grace of G1111 11s 1'1-V1-111011 i11 the g1 1spe1 of 11111' Lord Jesus Uhrist for the hope 111' t'1Cl'1121l life. Altugetllei' it 11111111111-s t11 1119 that he is 1111 1111111ir1111111 11111111-1 to set 1Je1f1Q11'11.1'111111g 111011 for i111it11ti1i111. l 1111 11111 111111111 T11 s11'v 111111 he 111111 att11i11e1'1 pe1'fe1'-ti1111, 13111 for strength HIIC1 purity of Qh111'11cte1', 1'11r 111111gi1111ee 111111 st1-1111f11st111-ss to what he 11111101111 to be right, for 111111111 11ee11111p1is111111111t of XV11211 he set 11ut 111111 11tte111pt1111 T11 1111 i11 life. few 1111111 1-111111111-11 111111 llC1'112lllS fewer still, if illly, l.li1VO excelled hi111. RICII.Xl1I1 MCl1.1v.x1N1H. R1C11ll1111ll'1, Xril., SQ1l101ll1JC1' 21, 1909. 27