Walter Blair

Walter Allen Blair (October 13, 1883 – August 20, 1948), nicknamed "Heavy", was an American catcher in Major League Baseball player born in Landrus, Pennsylvania who, after attending Bucknell University, played back-up catcher for the New York Highlanders from 1907 through 1911. He later got his chance to play regularly when played for the Buffalo Buffeds/Blues of the Federal League during their only two seasons in 1914 and 1915. It was for this team that he did appear as manager for two games, a doubleheader played on June 4, 1915, his team won one and lost one.

Following his playing career he served as a baseball coach at the University of Pittsburgh and Bucknell University. He was inducted into the Bucknell Hall of Fame in 1987. Walter died at the age of 64 in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, and was buried at the Lewisburg City Cemetery.

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Walter Blair (academic)

Walter Blair (April 21, 1900 – June 29, 1992) was a professor in the University of Chicago English department who was known for his study of American folklore, humor and tall tales.

Born in Spokane, Washington, he graduated from Yale University undergrad in 1923 and got his Ph.D. in English from U of C in 1931. He taught at Chicago from 1929 to 1968, and served as the chairman of his department for nine of those years (1951-1960).

Works included Native American Humor: 1800 to 1900 (1937), Horse Sense in American Humor (1942), Tall Tale America: A Legendary History of Our Humorous Heroes (1944, multiple reprints), Half-Horse Half-Alligator: The Growth of the Mike Fink Legend, Davy Crockett: Truth and Legend, Mark Twain & Huck Finn (1960), and a mystery novel called Candidate for Murder, the last of which was published under the pseudonym Mortimer Post.

Notable students of Blair included Nobel laureate Saul Bellow and Pulitzer Prize winner Philip Roth, as well as four other Pulitzer Prize winners.