Ted M. Blair

Ted M. Blair, PhD, 1932-2016, chairman of Dominican University of California Department of Music and professor of music there for 24 years and organist at St. John's Presbyterian Church in San Francisco for 30 years, passed away on June 30, 2016 in San Francisco after a lengthy illness. He spent his childhood in Clinton, Ark. He graduated from Hendrix College (BA) in Conway, Ark., received a Master's Degree (MM) in music from Louisiana State University, and a PhD in piano and musicology from the University of Iowa. He served two years in the US Army in Korea. Ted Blair's academic teaching career began at the Arkansas School for the Blind and continued at Hendrix College, the University of Redlands and finally at Dominican University, where he served on the faculty until his retirement in 1997. While at Dominican, he founded the Graduate Program in Music, produced over 12 complete operas (including Stravinsky's The Rake's Progress, Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice and Poulenc's Dialogues of the Carmelites), created an outstanding music collection in the institution's library, spearheaded the restoration of Angelico Hall and created the Forest Meadows Festival and Center for the Arts. Dr. Blair taught piano and performed extensively throughout the Bay Area. As a musicologist and leading academician, he served as chair of the College Music Society. As a music scholar, he wrote for Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians, contributed to various scholarly publications and wrote program notes for major recordings and concerts. Ted was the son of the late Stivers B. Blair and Leda Bratton Blair. He is survived by his sister, Dodie Blair Tudor (John) of Falmouth, Mass., his niece, Stephanie Tudor (Konrad Hughen), also of Falmouth, Mass. and his nephew Gregory S. Tudor (Katherine), of Olympia, Wash. and six great nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held on Friday, Sept. 9, 2016 at 2 p.m. at St. John's Presbyterian Church, 25 Lake Street, San Francisco.