We just learned of the sudden passing of the accomplished photographer, former Nauticos employee, and member of the 2002 Amelia Earhart search expedition, as well as long-term supporter of the project. Jonathan was noted in the Fall 2001 issue of Meridian Passages when he joined the team, the same issue that featured Elgen Long’s world flight. Some highlights of his career are below:
Blair was born in 1941 in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. He began his career at Northwestern University as a darkroom technician where he took photos of stars for Dearborn Observatory. Later, he enrolled at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) and received a degree in illustrative photography, graduating cum laude. One summer, he became the park’s photographer at Yosemite National Park. During his time there, he published many photographs for the United States Department of the Interior which helped him earn credits towards a bachelor’s degree in fine arts and photography, and helped him to secure a position as an intern for the National Geographic magazine. His first assignment for National Geographic was in 1966.
Jonathan participated in numerous expeditions to Africa, Asia Minor, and Europe. Since the 1970s, he has published more than three dozen articles with photographs in National Geographic, including The Last Dive of I-52, which he wrote after he took a 17,000 feet (5,200 m) dive in the Atlantic Ocean. In 2001, he became the Director of Media Development for Nauticos. His first assignment with them was at-sea photographer during their search for Amelia Earhart’s airplane.
Jonathan passed away quietly at home after an illness. His son Dakota, sister Kit, and brother Jeffrey were with him.
