Posted by LeRoy H. Graw on June 2, 2007:

This is a loving tribute to Robert Lawrence Blair, whom I had the pleasure of knowing as ?Larry?. During a short year of what seems almost a past life, Larry Blair, Lewis Green, and I were room-mates, during almost all of our second (Sophomore or ?Yearling?) year in Company C-1. We had the pleasure of living in the Old South Barracks, an area filled with some meaning for us, since we did our first ?Beast Barracks? there in the Summer of 1960. (I also did my second ?Beast Barracks? there as a ?Beast? Squad Leader in the Summer of 1962.) Larry and I had a particular bond since I was born in a small town in South Dakota and grew up in another small town in Idaho and he was from a small town in Kansas. We also shared some similar experiences from our high school days, including the fact that both of us had been top students in our respective high schools and further that we both had ?left behind? a ?special girl? back home that we missed terribly. We both grew out of that, however, and ended up marrying girls we met while we were cadets. I believe I had the pleasure of meeting Margaret, (Larry?s wife to be) while she was Larry?s ?OAO? at West Point. Larry, Lewis, and I as newly minted ?Yearlings? treasured our newfound liberty of ?hitting the rack? immediately after class (when we didn?t have intramurals or some such nonsense). In those days, Plebes were denied that privilege and we more than made up for that fact as ?Yearlings?. Larry was the only guy I know who could go from wide awake to fast sleep faster than I could, and that?s saying something! The three of us studied hard and laughed hard together. Many nights after lights out (10PM in those days), Larry, Lewis, and I would sit on the cold floor outside our room near the stairs (where there was light) and laugh uproariously at the misadventures of ?Ducrot Pepys?. Like Ducrot, I studied French and could relate to how poorly Ducrot pronounced ?il n?y a pas de quoi?. Although Larry?s language was Portuguese and Lewis studied Russian, they appreciated the inability of Ducrot to master French as well as his many other ?inabilities?. Despite the fact Ducrot was a 19th century cadet, we felt a certain kinship with that literary ?dullard? who might be considered ?AnyCadet?! We did get some scornful remarks from 2nd and 1st classmen about disturbing their sleep, so we learned to laugh ?sotto voce?. I remember that Larry was not only a consummate ?rackoid?, but also an excellent student. He was the kind of guy who learned things almost without effort (the exact definition of intelligence or ?IQ?), and I am sure he would have been a ?Star Man? if he had set his mind to it. Larry had another objective in mind, however, and that was to be commissioned in the Air Force. At that time, there were few ?slots? for the Air Force, and you had to be at the top of either the first, second, or third ?third? of the class in order to assure you got posted to the Air Force. Larry told me his goal was to make the top of the second ?third? and that he would have to ?dumb himself down? or ?lose some files? in order to achieve that goal. He obviously succeeded because I saw him in a Blue ?Zoomie? uniform on our graduation day. I am sorry now I really didn?t spend some time with him on that day, but he was in a hurry to get on with his life, as we all were! Larry, you really should have slowed down!! I know you were in a hurry to have a family and the fact that you had 8 healthy, successful children certainly proved that you succeeded in that department!! Even though I knew you were always in a hurry, to get to sleep after class, to get your commission in the Air Force, to get back to those people who loved you in Kansas, I never thought then that a car accident would do you in. I should have told you then to ?slow down? a little and improve your chances of surviving the mistakes of ?the other guy,? in your case the guy who unfortunately was driving on your side of the road. I remember your laugh, your smile, your wit, and that special way you walked/strutted. We loved you in what then was our ?salad days,? and we love you still, Larry!! God grant you and Margaret peace and those whom you left behind an understanding. Lovingly drafted by his ?Yearling? room-mate, LeRoy Harry Graw, Class of 64

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