Historical Note
William H. Blashfield grew up in Hood River, Oregon in the early part of the 20th
century and was a 1928 graduate of Hood River High School. William attended Whitman
College and obtained his bachelor's degree in electrial engineering from the
University of Washington in 1932. His employment during the 1930s was with the
Oregon-Washington Telephone
Company.
In 1941, William married the former Mathilde Knoll, of Hood River. After their
marriage, they moved to Galion, Ohio, where he worked as an electrical engineer for
the North Electric Company. In 1978, William and Mathilde moved to Deerfield Beach,
Fla., where he worked as an electrical engineer with Aptek Company until he was 90
years old. Mrs. Blashfield died in 2004.
William was a piano accompanist for numerous choirs. He died June 26, 2007 in Boca
Raton, Fla.
Content Description
The
William H. Blashfield Papers consists primarily of his letters to his mother and
father, written by him between 1928 and 1930 while he attended Whitman College.
There are also transcriptions of those letters. There is also a letter of
appreciation from a faculty member regarding William's musical abilities. The
letters provide an illuminating glimpse of student life at a small college.