They called him “the tally master” on a fishing boat in Alaska because of how well he could count the different species of fish. On the University of Idaho campus, he’s just known as Ray Blair.
Blair, a single parent of four sons, said he first began working at UI as a chef for Sodexo five years ago.
Caden Fields-Brown | Blot
Before he was a Paradise Creek Pizza & Grill employee working in the Idaho Commons, Blair packed steel at a mill in Seattle, sailed the Arctic Circle and even taught at the Northwest Academy of Music.
Originally born in Boston, Blair moved to the Pacific Northwest after the death of his father.
“My mother was a flower child. She and my father were involved in a lot of social activism during the ’60s and ’70s,” he said. “My father was participating in a protest with the Black Panthers when it turned violent, he was killed and after that, my family and I ended up in Idaho when my mother remarried.”
Blair said it was in Fernwood, Idaho, that he met his first wife with whom he had his two oldest sons.
“The marriage didn’t last and that was hard, because we had been together since we were kids … she would sneak out at night and ride her horse across the mountain so we could hold hands in the woods,” Blair said. “Sometimes though, two people can love each other and still want to go in different directions.”
After his divorce, Blair moved back to Seattle, where he spent time living in a tent behind a steel mill.
“I was homeless in Seattle for a time. I packed steel and saved up money before being offered a job on a fishing boat,” Blair said. “I was always looking for the next adventure and there’s no other adventure out there like the ocean.”
When he returned from Alaska after three years, Blair said he used the money he saved over the years to take music classes at North Idaho College where he played stringed instruments such the guitar and bass. He eventually went on to teach music at the Northwest Music Academy in Coeur d’Alene.
“Music helped me so much as a way to express myself,” Blair said. “I had hoped to pursue a music career, but something came up and I was put in a position where I had to make a decision whether to continue my career or raise my sons — so of course I chose my sons.”
Rather than continue to pursue a music career, Blair said he chose to devote his life to being a single parent to his two youngest sons.
After spending time with his parents who lived next to an Amish community in Missouri, Blair and his sons moved back to Idaho.
“I’ve learned a lot over the years because I’ve met a lot of different people,” Blair said. “You come to realize that there are so many ways to live a life and that there is really no right or wrong way, no one’s lifestyle is better than another. It’s just different.”
Despite his desire for adventure and travel, Blair said his primary priority in life is to be a good father to his four son.
Blair’s oldest son, UI senior Morgan Blair, said above all else, he admires his father’s determination.
“My dad is a mentally strong person,” Morgan said. “He’s tough in that he’s struggled through a lot in life. But at the end of the day, he’s a kind individual and I really respect that.”
Blair said that although his life has been tumultuous at times, he does not regret the road that led him to Moscow.
“I’ve dealt with a lot of suffering in my life, but in the end, all I have is unending joy for how it has turned out,” he said. “I know I’ve made the right decisions because all of my children live happy and fulfilling lives.”
After 41 years of diverse experiences, occupations and travels, Blair said his main goal is to continue enjoying life and spreading joy to others.
“Maybe when all of my kids are grown I’ll start having adventures again,” Blair said. “But for now, I’m just going to keep the happiness going and see where life decides to take me next.”