This "man of the mountain" lives in the community of Danby with his wife Susan and is a part of it. Their sons, Mitchell, who currently attends Norwich University, and Bryce, who is in the United States Navy, grew up in Danby where they attended local schools. Mike began coaching his sons' little league teams, continued to coach when they moved on to Babe Ruth and then coached their high school baseball team. He continues to coach the high school team even though his sons have graduated. In fact, he coached the team to the state semifinals in 2007.
The philosophy that Mike applies to both his baseball teams and his quarry team? Setting goals combined with hard work makes better men, and better men make better people. It follows that they go on to become better citizens. Mike serves as a role model there too, having served as a Selectman for Danby.
Mike Blair loves his work, the out-of-doors, the challenges of the rock and the mountain. He guides the decisions as to where the next shaft will be opened. He appreciates the beauty that surrounds his workplace both above and below ground. He keeps the quarry operation running smoothly. It is said of those men who work in marble and slate here in Vermont that the dust of the rock flows through their veins making them one with their work. Listening to quarrymen as they describe their work, watching them work with the stone and observing their appreciation of nature's beauty is almost a spiritual experience. I think that Mike Blair and the men who work for him are connected to those hundreds of quarrymen who went into the mountain before them through a bond only men who work with the earth's stone understand. They are all part of the legacy of the men of the mountains.
Some of the Mill River HS baseball team and Coach Mike Blair, taken in 2009
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