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Paul G. Blazer

From Alfawiki
Paul Garrett Blazer
BornTemplate:Birth date
New Boston, Illinois, U.S.
DiedDecember 9, 1966(1966-12-09) (aged 76)
OccupationBusiness executive
Known forPresident and CEO of Ashland Oil and Refining Company

Paul Garrett Blazer (September 19, 1890 – December 9, 1966) served as president and chief executive officer of Ashland Oil and Refining Company (Ashland, Inc.) headquartered in Ashland, Kentucky.

Early life

Born in New Boston, Illinois to David Newton Blazer and Mary Melinda Blazer (née Janes), Paul Garrett Blazer's family background included his father's childhood residence, which functioned as a station on the Underground Railroad, assisting escaped slaves from Missouri and Kentucky. David Blazer transitioned from his role as a school principal to become the publisher of the regional newspaper, the Aledo Times-Record.

At the age of 12, Paul started selling magazine subscriptions for publications such as The Saturday Evening Post and Ladies Home Journal, eventually expanding his operation enough to hire a full-time secretary. An accomplished athlete in both high school and college, he attended William & Vashti College in Aledo, Illinois. Subsequently, he joined Curtis Publishing Company’s Educational Division in Philadelphia as manager of school subscriptions, where he also created advertisements for the Saturday Evening Post.

Blazer was actively involved with the progressive Bull Moose Party and participated in Theodore Roosevelt’s 1912 presidential campaign, even appearing on Roosevelt’s whistle-stop tour platform in Philadelphia. He left Curtis Publishing in 1914 to grow his magazine subscription business throughout Illinois and Chicago. Supported by a Curtis scholarship, he earned an associate degree in philosophy from the University of Chicago in 1915 while managing student athletics and overseeing yearbook financial matters.

During World War I, Blazer enlisted with the 123rd U.S. Army Hospital Unit but was medically discharged following an accident. He briefly worked at Chittenden Press before moving to The Great Northern Refining Co., initially as advertising manager and then advancing to sales manager by 1918.

In April 1917, Blazer married Georgia Monroe, a University of Chicago alumna. The couple had three children: Paul Garrett Jr., Doris Virginia, and Stuart Monroe. Georgia Blazer was appointed by Governor Happy Chandler in 1939 as the first female trustee on the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees. Honoring her 21 years of service, Georgia M. Blazer Hall—a women’s dormitory—was opened in 1962. She also contributed to Kentucky's Council on Public Higher Education.

Oil industry career

In 1920, Paul Blazer assumed the vice presidency of the Great Southern Oil & Refining Company based in Lexington, Kentucky. Four years later, he joined the Swiss Oil Company of Lexington, where he supervised both construction and management aspects of Ashland Refining Co. located in Ashland, Kentucky. From 1924 until 1957, Blazer was widely acknowledged as the leader of the Ashland enterprise.[1]

Blazer was appointed vice president of the newly established Independent Petroleum Association of America in 1930, a position he held for a decade. During President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s initial term, Blazer engaged with Washington officials to help formulate a petroleum industry code aimed at fair competition. He chaired the Department of the Interior's Petroleum Code Survey Committee on Small Business Enterprise from 1933 to 1936—commonly referred to as the "Blazer Committee."[2]

While collaborating with the Department of Interior, Blazer advocated for New Deal funding supporting infrastructure projects in Kentucky, including enhancements to Ashland’s sewer system, public library facilities, and athletic stadium.

As a founding member of the Petroleum Industry Council for National Defense, Blazer contributed significantly during World War II by serving as one of the "dollar-a-year men" executives on the Petroleum Administration for War Council under Secretary Ickes and other officials. Appointed on July 11, 1941, he chaired District 2’s General Oversight Committee and its Refining Committee until the council's dissolution in 1946.[3] In this timeframe, the Department of Interior allocated $235 million for aviation gasoline infrastructure projects, including a $6 million expansion at the Catlettsburg refinery completed in 1942.[4]

At the state level, Blazer chaired Governor Simeon S. Willis' WWII Postwar Planning Commission Transportation Committee and spearheaded efforts advocating for a Kentucky constitutional convention during 1946–1947.[1]

His leadership extended to directorships with both the American Petroleum Institute and the National Petroleum Council. Additionally, he served on the Cincinnati Branch Office board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland from 1945 to 1950 and held its chairmanship during 1949 and 1950.[1]

Established in 1946 at President Truman's request to provide industry perspectives on oil and natural gas issues, the National Petroleum Council counted Blazer among its members until 1957.[5][3]

Blazer ensured Ashland Oil maintained active participation within the Ohio Valley Improvement Association headquartered at Cincinnati Federal Reserve Bank Building.[2]

Together with William J. Hull, he played an instrumental role in executing the Department of Interior’s and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Ohio River Navigation Modernization Program launched in 1953 with a $200 million budget—the first such initiative since 1929. This program entailed building nineteen new dual locks and high-lift dams along the Ohio River; eight projects were situated within Kentucky's boundaries. Among these was the Greenup Dam near Ashland—initially known as The Paul G. Blazer Dam—which received top priority for site development.[6][7]

Blazer provided testimony before Congress concerning oil industry regulations and opposed a proposed waterways taxation measure in 1956. At age seventy, he was elected chairman and president of the newly formed National Waterways Conference in 1960 and secured re-election in 1961.[2]

In recognition of his achievements, National Petroleum News magazine inducted him into their Oil Hall of Fame in 1964 as its thirty-fourth honoree.

Blazer honors and accolades (1946–1960)

Additional distinctions included:

  • University of Chicago's alumni recognition as a Useful Citizen (1949) for his advocacy of Kentucky's Constitutional Convention
  • Honorary doctorate from University of Kentucky (1952)
  • Transylvania College’s Kentucky Citation in 1954 for "distinguished service in Business and Higher Education"
  • Named "Kentuckian of the Year" by the Kentucky Press Association in 1954, recognized as "a strong supporter of education"
  • Received a Citation of Honor from Indiana Technical College during the dedication of Dana Science Building (1958)
  • Honorary degrees awarded by Marshall University (1958), Pikeville College (1959), and Wilberforce University (1962)

Blazer maintained a position on the American Sunday School Union board as honorary vice-president until his passing in 1966. Lincoln Memorial University dedicated Jesse Stuart’s bibliography to him, honoring him as "Benefactor of Education" in 1960. That same year, Kentucky State College named The Paul G. Blazer Library in his honor.

Inspired by his abolitionist roots and collaboration with Chief Justice Vinson regarding racial integration, Blazer championed educational progress and desegregation. He personally funded a student loan program at Kentucky State College beginning in 1950. His 1960 commencement speech addressing integration was officially recorded in the United States Congressional Record.

Advancement of local higher education (1957)

In 1957, Blazer was instrumental in promoting higher education within the Ashland region by enabling the University of Kentucky to assume teaching responsibilities and daily management from the Ashland Independent School District for Ashland Junior College.

Death

Paul G. Blazer passed away on December 9, 1966, at the age of 76.

The Stuart Blazer Foundation (1952–1975)

After nearly twenty years of grantmaking focused on the Ashland community, the Stuart Blazer Foundation was dissolved during the 1970s. Acting on suggestions from Paul and Georgia’s children, Paul Jr. and Doris, half of the remaining endowment financed initial restoration efforts for Ashland’s Paramount Movie Theater (Paramount Arts Center), associated with Paul Jr., while the other half supported construction and one year’s operation of the Ashland Tennis Center before its donation to the city, linked to Doris.

The Blazer family also founded the Blazer Lecture Series at the University of Kentucky to honor their son Stuart’s memory.

Bibliography

Publications


External links

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named book_1992
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named bio_blazer
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named WHOs_WHO
  4. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Frey_Ide
  5. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named NaPetC
  6. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named miss_Hull
  7. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named iwr._.pdf
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