Thu, 04/29/2021 - 10:09am sarahp JAMES P BLAIR
MIDDLEBURY James P. Blair died in the comfort of his family on April 25, 2021, shortly after his 90th birthday on Earth Day weekend. He is survived by his wife Elise, his twin sons David and Matthew, daughter-in-law Lizanne, stepchildren Marijke, Bryan, Miriam, Norbert, Saskia and Scott, and many loving grandchildren. His first wife Patricia predeceased him.
From his earliest days growing up in Pittsburgh, Pa., Jim dreamed of photography and travel. After graduating from the Chicago Institute of Design, he began his travels with Naval refugee relief efforts in Korea and Vietnam. With innate talent and wonderful good fortune, Jim found his calling as a staff photographer at the National Geographic, where he worked for 35 years. His work resulted in nearly 50 published magazine articles and books, and his photographs came to be recognized around the world. He freelanced and taught photography workshops to