Blair Hale

Blair Hale of Logan, Utah died on October 17, 2006
following an extended illness. He was 87. Blair was
born in Afton, Wyoming on November 30, 1918, to Louis
H. “Whitey” Hale and Lois Angelia Allred, both of
Afton. He was the third son in a family of eight boys
and one girl. Blair married his college sweetheart,
Eleanore Pastore of Denver, Colorado, in the Salt Lake
Temple on June 15, 1945. They are parents of three
sons and one daughter: Jeffrey Craig (Martha Farrer)
of Providence, Janet Hancey (Craig) of Erda, Utah,
Eric Blair (Debbie Wilson) of Salt Lake City, and
Frederick Scott, who died in infancy.
Blair graduated from the Star Valley. High School
(where he was the student body president) in 1936,
earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the
University of Wyoming in 1941, and went on to get a
Master of Science degree from the University of
Colorado at Boulder in 1956. He entered military
service in 1941, first as a marine, then as an army
flying cadet. He served as a bombardier on a B-17
Flying Fortress in the early days of World War II, was
shot down by enemy fighters, and was rescued from the
north Baltic Sea by the Germans. From then until the
war ended in May 1945 he was a POW in Poland and
Germany. He self-published a book of his experiences
during the war that is one of the great legacies he
left his family and friends.
After World War II Blair trained for combat in B-29,
B-50, B-47, and B-52 bombers. In addition to flight
operations, he specialized in intelligence, personnel
management, and military procurement. He served with
the Air Force in special intelligence assignments at
the Pentagon and in Japan and Korea. He was a
professor of Air Science and commander of Air Force
ROTC at Utah State (1957-1960). He retired from the
military in 1965 after 24 years of service, and became
director of Student Employment and Career Placement at
Utah State University 1965-1982.
Blair and his family were active Latter-Day-Saints
throughout his life. While in the military, he served
in leadership positions in Germany, England, and
Korea. He was the bishop of a USU married student
ward for six years, a counselor in the Logan 16th Ward
bishopric, and a high priest group leader in the Logan
8th Ward. He also served as Director of the
multi-regional Cache Family History Center for six
years, and for 18 months as a full time missionary
with his wife Eleanore in the Florida Tampa Mission.
In high school and college Blair was active in sports
and excelled in boxing at the University of Wyoming.
He was a game-hunting guide and worked as an assistant
ranger in the national forest. He loved boating,
fishing, and camping with his family and friends. .
He was a long-time supporter and avid fan of USU Aggie
football and basketball. After his retirement, he
served the citizens of Logan as a Neighborhood Council
Chairman and as a member of the Planning and Zoning
Committee.
He is survived by his wife, three children, 20
grandchildren, 14 great grandchildren, a sister, and
three brothers. Four brothers preceded him in death.

The funeral will be held Saturday, October 21 at
12:00 noon at the Logan 8th Ward LDS chapel, 325
Lauralin Drive. Funeral arrangements are under the
direction of Allen-Hall Mortuary 34 E. Center Street,
Logan. Friends and family may call at the mortuary on
Friday, October 20, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. or at the chapel
10:30 to 11:45 a.m. on Saturday. Military honors at
burial will be provided at the Logan City Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers friends may make contributions to
the Blair and Eleanore P. Hale family scholarship fund
for Air Force ROTC cadets at USU or to the LDS Church
Perpetual Education fund in Salt Lake City.
Condolences may be sent to the family at
www.allenmortuaries.net