William Holt Blair was born September 20, 1901, in Kentucky. While a young boy his parents moved to Oregon state. His father was a Presbyterian minister, and so William early came to know the Lord.

After high school he went to Whitworth College in Spokane, WA and transferred to Wheaton College where he received his BA degree.

Because he felt the Lord wanted him in the ministry, he went to Dallas Theological Seminary for two years and from there to Northwestern University in Evanston, IL to work for an MA degree in Greek. While there, he married Marjorie Stoute on January 29, 1933, and they lived in Chicago until he received his degree. They moved to Dallas, TX for him to complete his work for the B. Th. degree at Dallas Seminary.

Rev. Blair's first pastorate was a community Presbyterian church in Midwest, WY. While there, his son, Bill Jr., was born. His next pastorate was Bethany Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis, MN, which adjoined the campus of the university. Much of his work thee was with students from the university, but his ministry had an impact on young and old alike. While in Minneapolis, their daughter Karis was born.

When World War II broke out, Rev. Blair felt he should apply to become a chaplain in the Army. He was accepted and served in the armed forces 10 years, three of which were spent in the Canal Zone. One of his assignments there was the chapel at Curundu. Although he was required to have only one service a week, he put his heart into the work in the Sunday school, a young people's ministry, and a midweek Bible study in his quarters at Fort Clayton. During his time at Curundu, the people developed a real interest in missions.

Chaplain Blair was accomplished musically, both on the piano and trumpet. In the field, he led the soldiers in singing using a little pump organ or his cornet. He was on the radio a number of times with his children, sometimes accompanying Karis on the piano as she sang, or adding his trumpet to theirs for a trio.

Upon leaving the military, Chaplain Blair accepted an offer from Wheaton College to serve in the office of public relations, a position he held for ten years until the Lord took him with a heart attack on January 16, 1963.

CHAPLAIN BLAIR's FAMILY Chaplain Blair's wife, Marjorie, taught 20 years in the public school in Riverside, CA and earned a life credential to teach high school science. She also taught in a Christian high school in Riverside and in the Wycliffe Bible Translators school for missionary children in Colombia, South America.

Chaplain Blair's daughter, Karis, when 10 or 11 years of age in Panama, saw the film 2000 Tongues to Go and felt the Lord wanted her to be a Bible translator. She never lost sight of her goal. She majored in New Testament Greek at Wheaton College, got her MA in linguistics at UCLA, and also took missionary training. She married Richard Mansen, and the two of them served with the Guajiro tribe of Colombia, developing a written language, teaching the people to read, and translating the New Testament. The initial translation was completed before the Lord took Karis in 1995.

Bill, Jr. took his graduate work in the field of biophysics. He became associate to the co-director of the Oceanic Institute where he did research on dolphins. He also worked in the field of economics, helping people with their IRS problems.

Both children excelled in music. Karis wrote a Christmas cantata which was performed for the missionary community in Colombia. Bill presented many piano recitals, one sponsored by the University of California, Riverside.