Obituary William M. Blaik

     William McDowell Blaik died on September 22, 2008 in St. Anthony Hospital in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma of pulmonary disease.  He spent his younger years in Hanover as the son of Col. Earl 'Red' Blaik, legendary pre-World War II Dartmouth football coach.  He was graduated from Kimball Union Academy and spent two years in the U.S.Army before matriculating with our class.  He majored in geology and entered the oil and gas exploration business in Oklahoma. 

     By 1956 he formed his own company and achieved great commercial success and civic involvement. His company drilled over 900 prospects and operated over 250 producing properties with interests in some 400 others.  In 1967 he married Shirley Spencer and soon thereafter had two children, Will and Katie. His firm was bought out by Torchmark  Industries in 1984 and he and Shirley turned ranching, an avocation, into a business. He retired in 1992 Bill is survived by Shirley and their two children.