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Norman C. Blanchard Oral History Interviews, 1995-1998
Overview of the Collection
- Interviewer
- Wilen, Stephen
- Title
- Norman C. Blanchard Oral History Interviews
- Dates
- 1995-1998 (inclusive)19951998
- Quantity
- 17 sound cassettes
- Collection Number
- 2013.103
- Summary
- Series of oral history interviews with boatbuilder Norman C. Blanchard
- Repository
-
Museum of History & Industry, Sophie Frye Bass Library
P.O. Box 80816
Seattle, WA
98108
Telephone: 2063241126 x102
library@mohai.org - Access Restrictions
-
Access to the interviews is restricted due to lack of playback equipment and copyright restrictions. Please contact the repository for further information.
- Languages
- English.
- Sponsor
- Funding to inventory, assess preservation concerns, and rehouse the collection was provided through a 2018 grant awarded by 4Culture.
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Norman C. Blanchard was born in 1911, the third generation in a family of mariners and boat builders. His father founded the Blanchard Boat Company in 1905. As a youth, Norman spent his spare time on the Seattle waterfront and after graduating from Roosevelt High School he worked alongside his father at the family boat yard. Almost 2,000 boats were built at the Blanchard Boat Company over its 60 year history, including commercial ships, classic motor cruisers and sailing yachts, some of which are still in use today. Following his father’s death in 1954, Norman became the president of Blanchard Boat Company. He married Eunice Scholl in 1935, and their son Norman J. Blanchard III was born in 1945. Eunice Scholl Blanchard died in 1985.
In the 1970s, Norman C. Blanchard was appointed to the National Boating Safety Council and served as president of the Puget Sound Maritime Historical Society. He was active in sail boat racing and known for his extensive maritime knowledge of the Pacific Northwest. He co-authored the book “Knee Deep in Shavings” with Steve Wilen, published in 1999. Norman C. Blanchard was a member of the Seattle Yacht Club since 1938 and served on the Board of Directors. He participated on several boat show committees and joined the Northwest Marine Industries at the first meeting held by the organization.
Norman C. Blanchard married his second wife Mary Barnard in 1991. The Barnard and Blanchard families were long-time boating friends, and the couple enjoyed cruising Puget Sound with other members of the Seattle Yacht Club. Norman C. Blanchard passed away on July 9, 2009 at the age of 98. Mary Barnard Blanchard died in Redmond, Washington on January 18, 2013.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The collection consists of a series of seventeen interviews conducted by Steven Wilen with Norman C. Blanchard between March 1995 and November 1998.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
The Museum of History & Industry is the owner of the materials in the Sophie Frye Bass Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from MOHAI before any reproduction use. The museum does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners.
Preferred Citation
Norman C. Blanchard Oral History Interviews, Museum of History & Industry, Seattle
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Boat & ship industry--Washington (State)--Seattle
Corporate Names
- Blanchard Boat Company (Seattle, Wash.)
Geographical Names
- Seattle (Wash.)
Form or Genre Terms
- Sound recordings
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Blanchard, Norman C., 1911-2009 (creator)