Harold C. Blickenstaff Memorial

MARCH 8, 1924 – MAY 21, 2012

Harold C. Blickenstaff was born in Tunker, Indiana on March 8, 1924. He passed away on May 21, 2012. Harold was a long-time resident of the Sierra Foothills, having moved to California from the Midwest in the early 1950s.

Harold grew up mostly in Northern Indiana, but graduated from high school in Michigan. He graduated from Manchester College in North Manchester, Indiana with a degree in History. During WWII he was a conscientious objector and served the nation through several kinds of alternative service. He built low income homes in Florida, was an attendant in a mental hospital, and most notably, volunteered for the only scientific study of human starvation ever conducted. His anti-war activism was a long life passion. Harold was a high school teacher at several public schools in Northern California before becoming principal of John Woolman School (a private Quaker academy) in 1964. His service to the school continued up to the present day. From the early 1970s through his retirement. Harold was a general contractor and he built a number of houses in Placer and Nevada counties. He also worked as an adult educator for the Owner Builder Center to teach building skills to homeowners in the 1980s.

Harold began his volunteer service to the nonprofit Music in the Mountains and his participation in the chorus began when the organization stared in 1983. He was also active with Foothill Theater Company, participating in several joint productions with Music in the Mountains, and later building sets for Foothill Theater in the Nevada Theater and at Sand Harbor. His children and grandchildren learned carpentry skills through working with him on job sites and theater sets.

Though usually quiet in large gatherings, Harold took great interest in other people and his observations often led to great insights. His quiet introspective demeanor did not prevent Harold from breaking into song at the least provocation, and his memory for melodies and lyrics was impressive.

Harold is survived by his wife, Marguerite, eleven children, twenty grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.