Al was born February 19, 1927 in Greenbrier, Arkansas to the late Ralph and Ola (Seay) Blair. He was also preceded in death by his sons Terry Lee and Larry Keith Blair.
He graduated from North Kansas City High School and served in the Navy January 1945 to December 1947.
Survivors include wife Mary (Miller) Blair of the home. Sons Kevin and Brian Blair, sister Freeda, 5 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren.
Al Blair, manager of Steam Operations.
Career: 1949, Overhead- groundman, apprentice lineman, journeyman lineman, line foreman, district foreman, operating superintendent; 1970, Transportation-superintendent of Maintenance Shops; 1972, T&D Construction & Maintenance-superintendent, manager, staff assistant; 1985, Distribution System-staff assistant, manager of Special Projects; 1987, Steam Operations-manager.
In retrospect: “I’ve had a ball and enjoyed every job I’ve had. But once a lineman, always a lineman, so I’m prouder of my line work than any of the other jobs I have had. I’ve been working with the Kansas City, Missouri, School District for the past 18 months helping them set up schedules, working with their labor contacts and looking for ways to improve their operations. I really appreciate the opportunity to work with them.”
Looking ahead: “I have so many hobbies I don’t even know where to start. I do have 100 acres where I keep five pleasure horses, and we’ve been doing a lot of traveling, so we’ll probably continue that. I became interested in the Spanish language when I was in the service. So in addition to several trips to Mexico, I have helped some of the kids from the Westside get enrolled in school. I’ve also made books and tapes so Spanish-speaking people can learn English.”
