William C. Blizzard, author of “When Miners March,” dies at 92 in Ripley
William C. Blizzard giving a presentation at the WV Cultural Center. Photo in back of Bill show his parents and grandmother Ma Blizzard who was one of WV’s first labor activists.
William C. Blizzard passed away in Ripley, WV on December 29th, at 10:30 PM at the age of 92. There will be a memorial service for him at the WV Cultural Center on Saturday, January 3 at 10 AM with internment at Sunset Memorial Park in South Charleston, next to his parents and grandparents, immediately following the service. Elaine Purkey will sing a labor song and Gazette reporter Paul Nyden will say a few works. ( See his Gazette story.) He had double pneumonia and many other medical problems. He had spent quite a bit of time in Charleston and Ripley hospitals during recent years, but was always friendly. Kelley Thompson spent a day with him a year ago interviewing him for his film, “The Widen Project.” ( Hopefully Kelley will edit and release the footage for people who care about one of WV’s living monuments.) He was also interviewed for the hit cable program, “Hillbilly - The Real Story” that has been shown many, many times on the History Channel during the last year. We will miss you, kind and gentle soul. God bless you. He will be buried in South Charleston next to his famous father. ( Unfortunately, there is just a family marker….none marking the final resting place of one of America’s great labor leaders.)
Mr. Blizzard was like an uncle to me, and definitely like a father to Wess Harris, publisher of Blizzard’s landmark book, “When Miners March.” During recent years, thanks to Wess literally rescuing Bill from an old trailer house in Winfield where he lived by himself, I got to know a truly kind, gentle, humerous, intelligent and giving man whose personal life established him as one of West Virginia’s most courageous journalists. My wife and I helped celebrate his 90th birthday in Ripley two years ago.
He lost the job of a lifetime at The Charleston Gazette by refusing to cross the picket line during a labor strike at the paper.
He attended Columbia University School of Journalism, the finest in the land, and spent a life chronicling the lives of miners and working people.
I am certainly going to miss him. I had just mailed him a copy of my essay on films about coal mining along with several other items. I hope he had a chance to see them before he passed.
I have written about Mr. Blizzard many times on this WV film blog - here are some of the entries….
About “Hillbilly - the Real Story.”
WV Legislature Resolution on saving Blair Mountain
History Channel interview with Blizzard
Proposed film on Eskdale where his mother, “Ma Blizzard,” lived and took part in the Cabin Creek-Paint Creek Mine Wars.
Mr. Blizzard speaking on need to save Blair Mountain at WV State Capitol
Here is Mr. Blizzard’s resume from 2005-
ResumeJuly 2005755-0094 William C. BlizzardAuthor of “When Miners March” (2004) and son of Bill Blizzard, UMWA hero of Battle of Blair Mountain
11
Riverside Glen
Winfield, WV
23213 WWII vet – photo reconnaissance South Pacific Born near Eskdale Dec. 22, 1916 I offer clients the benefits solid basic training, versatility, and over 40 years as a journalist, writer and photographer. Before devoting major attention to magazine work, I spent 15 years as a newspaper writer. For more than 12 years I was a feature writer for the Sunday Gazette-Mail magazine in Charleston, WV, traveling West Virginia and most surrounding states in covering stories. Many, if not most, of my articles were researched in far greater depth than the usual superficial newspaper feature. I was simultaneously a darkroom technician, including ROP color after training with Eastman Kodak in
Rochester, and photographer for the Sunday Gazette-Mail. That is, I researched and wrote my stories, did the photography to illustrate the stories, processed my film and made the necessary prints that were reproduced as my story illustrations. I have a degree in English Literature (French Lit. minor) from West Virginia University and studied professional writing at Columbia University - short story, newspaper feature and magazine article. I am a graduate of the Air Force School of Photography (then the Air Corps|) in Denver, Colorado, attended the New Institute of Cinematography in New York City and, briefly, the New School. Among my writing instructors at Columbia were Martha Foley and Helen Christine Bennett of the J. Walker Thompson agency. Among my photography instructors were Bernice Abbot and Kurt Safranski. A few years ago I was a faculty member of Antioch College at Beckley, WV branch of the Yellow Springs,
Ohio institution. I taught writing on several levels, photography and history. At the request of the late Dr. Festus Summers of West Virginia University, I heavily edited the book, “The 35th State,” by Summers and Cometti. Until I gave up the activity, I was certified as a teacher of photography in the Putnam County, WV, adult education program and taught photography classes for adults atHurricane High School. In 1988 I was under contract with the WV Commission on Aging as Literacy Coordinator in a program designed to eliminate or alleviate illiteracy among West Virginia elderly. In performing my Commission duties in 28 southern WV counties, I drove at least 12,000 miles and made over 100 short talks before senior groups. I also prepared many newspaper articles pertaining to the work of the WV Adult Literacy Coalition and submitted many thousands of words in reports to the Commission on Aging. I have elementary knowledge of several scientific fields and can understand and popularize a variety of subjects, scholarly and otherwise. I participated in outdoor activities and often wrote about them. I was an Eagle Scout and was for a short time on the University rifle team. As may be inferred from some of the above statements, I am a media photographer and a senior retired member and Affiliate of ASMP (American Society of Media – formerly Magazine – Photographers) as well as a professional writer. I have sold, through agencies, photos for use on calendars, in brochures, on magazine covers, and in varied other ways. For most of my photo work, I now use 35 mm cameras. However, I have mused much larger formats and own and use 2 ¼ outfits with several lenses and backs. My work has appeared in many magazine and two encyclopedias – World Book and Grolier. Over the years, my computer work has been with versions of C|P/M, MS-DOS and Windows systems. I currently use Windows 98. I work with both WORKS and WORD, excellent word processors. Listed below are a few of the publications in which my prose or photos have appeared and/or some of my other clients|: Fjunk/Lueke, Inc. a Toledo, Ohio, ad agency, a completed photo assignment for an agency client (Corning Fiberglas Corp.); Dynamic Years and NRTS Journal, both at one time AARP publications (photos, articles); Cosmopolitan Magazine (photos); Reader’s Digest (short humor); Readers Digest Books (photos); High Fidelity/Musical America (photos and article0; Smithsonian Magazine (photos); Ford Times (photos and article); American Youth, a GM publication (photos and articles); Marathon Oil, a major oil company publication (an article on radio astronomy and the Green Bank, WV Radio Astronomy Observatory, both text and internal, cover and centerfold color photos); Small World, (Volkswagen, photos); Sports Afield, photo and short article; Southern Outdoors (many short articles and humor/fiction); Fishing World, (humor/fiction); Nation’s Business (photo); World Book and Grolier encyclopedias (photos); Harvest, a Campbell Soup publication (article and photos); Inside Sports (photos and article on a WV professional athlete); Off Hours (a NYC physician profile and photo); Friends Magazine, a Chevrolet publication (articles, photos); The Rotarian (articles, photos); The Lion (articles, photos); U.S. News and World Report (photo); Income Opportunities (articles, photos); Medical Dimensions, a NYC physician-recreation publication (article); Women’s World (photos); XL Magazine, a general interest men’s magazine (article, plus many color photos of bass fishing tournament); Popular Mechanics (short article); Ozark, an airline magazine with the East/West Network (article); Sierra Magazine (photo assignment); Small Boat Journal, a New England magazine (article and photos, the article later reprinted in the book, “Outdoor Boat4r’s Handbook” by David R. Getschell, Sr. published in 1984 by McGraw hill; Crossing America, National Geographic’s Guide to the Interstates, as well as another purchase by the Society for use on CD-ROM; also for later use by a German publisher; Diversion Magazine, a physician-recreation publication in NYC (article and photos); TrusJoist Macmillan, a large wood-product producer in Buckhannon, WV, (a photo assignment arranged through the parent corporation, Oliver Russell, Inc. of Boise, Idaho); Lester Building Systems of Lester Prairie, M|N, a division of Butler Mfg. Co. (color industrial photos); Animal Watch Magazine, ASPCA (short humor); Farrar, Straus & Giroux, photo for use as a cover jacket and frontispiece on the book, “Zero Tolerance” by Thomas Richards. ###Mr. Blizzard spoke at the WV Cultural Center on March 22, 2006. Here is Wess Harris’ press release for the event - Press ReleaseFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wess Harris
Gay, WV 25244
304-927-5333
William C. Blizzard to speak at WV Cultural Center
[ Gay, WV March 2, 2006]
The WV Division of Culture & History, as part of its Cultural Heritage Lecture Series will present William C. Blizzard, the author of the landmark book, “When Miners March,” on Wednesday, March 22, at 7 p.m., in the Norman L. Fagan West Virginia State Theater at the Cultural Center, State Capitol Complex in Charleston. Music will begin at 6:30 including new original songs like “Ma Blizzard” by Dalporto. Two labor singers will be performing as well – Elaine Purkey and T. Paige Dalporto, both of whose music will be heard on the forthcoming “audio drama” to be released by MountainWhispers.com. Blizzard is the son of Bill Blizzard, the leader of the Battle of Blair Mountain in 1921, and a lifelong journalist who attended Columbia University School of Journalism. His book has recently been reviewed in Utne magazine, and many other national publications and websites. Goldenseal magazine will have an interview with him in its spring edition. It was the impetus for Sanford Berman and others to request that the Library of Congress create new subject headings on “The WV Mine Wars” and “The Battle of Blair Mountain” which were created last summer. He will be profiled in the magazine “Preservation” as part of a story on the attempt to block the mountaintop removal mining destruction of Blair Mountain. He worked for the Charleston Gazette, both as a writer and photographer. He presently lives in Winfield, WV where he is active on his computer and many other activities. He is 89years old. The website for the book is- http://www.whenminersmarch.com/.
##
In 2008, The West Virginia State Archives erected a marker in front of UMWA District 17 on Kanawha Blvd. in Charleston at the suggestion of Mr. Blizzard and Wess Harris. The marker says -
WILLIAM BLIZZARD
Born in Kanawha County on 19 September 1892. Began work as miner at age ten, and served as field organizer, UMWA. Noted as leader of 1921 Armed March. Indicted for treason but later acquitted. President of District 17 and vice-president of West Virginia Federation of Labor. Retired to Putnam County farm in 1955. Died on 31 July 1958. To be erected at UMWA District 17 headquarters,
1300 Kanawha Boulevard East, Charleston, WV
January 4th, 2009 at
Bill was a wonderful person. I was sorry to hear of his passing. We were distantly related and I was very good friends with Bill’s neice who passed away a few years ago. She lived in Winfield and used to try to get him out and about when she was still in good health. I’m so glad to hear that people helped him out after she was gone.
January 4th, 2009 at
When I was young, very young, perhaps 11 or or twelve, Bill Sr. sent me a baby fox from his place in Winfield. He had had to kill it’s mother so he filed it’s teeth so it’s couln’t hurt if it bit. My dad, Roy Blizzard, often went down to Bill’s place to fish. Anyway, I remember that fox well. It had two small white spots on it’s nose and hissed at me when I tried to wash it because it smelled awful.
Well, that fox, after a couple of days of trying to become civilized by an ignorant child, took off and I never saw it again.
I pray it took to the woods up near Edgewood or thereabouts, but whatever,I never saw it again.
I think that incident showed Bill, who obviously was an incredible leader to the miners of West Virginia, a real “softie” who cared for life and tried to do right by them, even if he was wrong with that poor fox. I pray that he and his son who are buried with other Blizzards down in South Charleston, are “held in the light” when others remember what bravery and courage they showed many in my home state.
Sincerely,
Lu Blizzard Motley who will always love West Virginia
January 4th, 2009 at
Bill Blizzard of mine war fame was my father’s (Roy M. Blizzard) first cousin, and we often traveled twenty or so miles to Winfield, WV to fish in Bill’s lake during the early 1950’s. Bill and his family were gracious people, and as I remember, Bill always had a smile and plenty of good humor for us.
Bill’s son, William C. Blizzard and I spoke over the phone several times this past year regarding our family tree. Kimberly, my neice has been working on our family tree for several years, and she is very close to the facts.
March 3rd, 2009 at
Hi,
Was your this Bill Blizzard formerly of the 26th Photo Recon. Sq. of the SWPA and Far Pacific? If so we were squadron mates. My career is somewhat parallel to Bill Blizard’s except I had no University training but I was employed with NACA/NASA in experimental photography to support Aeronautical Research and 31 years as photojournaiist/writer with the Cleveland PLAIN DEALER. I wish we had known where he was as we had about 20 Squadron Reunions around the Country and he would have liked those I am sure. Beside photoraphy my life has revolved especially now around my tiny dog Smoky that was found in a New Guinea foxhole in 1944 and is the most famous war dog of WWII. She has 6 memoirals nationally. Smoky has been a subject of two Animal Planet shows and a Documentary by the U. of Eastern New Mexico is near completion.
Thank You, Bill Wynne–Mansfield , Ohio
www.smokywardog.com