James F. Blair

James F. Blair, 92, of Venice, FL, died on July 17, 2010. Jim was an experienced organization councilor, executive recruiter, and marketing development specialist. He was one of the founding partners of Goodrich & Sherwood, New York, a leading national Human Resources firm. He had over 25 years of experience as an executive counselor, in addition to extensive experience as a marketing and sales executive with several of the nation’s foremost healthcare and publication firms. He began his career in sales with McKesson & Robbins. Recruited to Bristol-Myers he quickly rose to a Divisional Merchandising Manager. As Director of Marketing for “This Week Magazine”, he became an authority on retail distribution and promotion in the food and drug arena. Later he joined Warner Lambert as National Sales Manager in the Chilcott Division prior to the building of his firm. Jim was a graduate of Ohio State University where he earned his MBA with honors in marketing. He received a BA degree from the University of Illinois with a major in sales. Graduating number one in his class from NAS Pensacola before World War II, he was commissioned and received his wings as a carrier fighter pilot. He was shortly transferred to a production test unit as a Test Pilot and spent the remainder of his career in the Navy evaluating nearly every propeller type combat aircraft flown by the carrier groups. Survivors include his wife, Joan Blair, of Venice, FL; three daughters, Hilary Sullivan of Vancouver, Canada, Linda Blair of Burbank, CA, and Debbie; and a son, James Blair, Jr. of Eden Mills, VT. Jim was an active tennis member of the Plantation Golf & Country Club, a member of the Navy League, The Quiet Birdman, and the Masonic Order, a former Board Member of The New York League for the Hard of Hearing and a former Board Member of Myrtle Trace. Jim also volunteered at the Senior Friendship Center in Venice.