The Virginia Golfer Conversation
Thank
You
T
he magazine you’re reading is
the last Virginia Golfer to be
published under the editorial
direction of Andrew Blair. He
resigned May 29, after more
than 14 years as communications director
of the Virginia State Golf Association, and is
pursuing other career opportunities.
The VSGA Board and competitive golf
in the Commonwealth will miss Blair’s calm
professionalism and amazing work ethic.
With the retrenching and reductions taking
place all over the media landscape, Blair
stepped into the breach to effectively serve
as Virginia’s golf reporter. If there was a
VSGA or United States Golf Association
tournament taking place in Virginia, Blair
was there covering it for media outlets which
had no one available to staff the event.
“In all respects, Andrew was a pleasure to
work with and did a fabulous job without
leaving one stone unturned,” said Jamie
Conkling, executive director of the VSGA.
“Andrew is armed with a great sense of humor.
For those of us who worked closely with
Andrew, he went by the nickname (jokingly)
‘Snoop Dogg’ as we all had to be careful of what
6
“It never felt I was
actually working!”
we said or it might find its way into print. We
will certainly miss him.”
So will most of the writers who wrote
regularly for Virginia Golfer. “Andrew is the
kindest, most considerate editor I’ve ever
known, traits that carry over into his personal
life,” said Jim Ducibella, a Virginia Sports Hall
of Famer and the back-of-the-book columnist
for Virginia Golfer.
Said Mike Stott, a frequent contributor
to the magazine, “Andrew is a thorough
V I R G I N I A G O L F E R | J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 5
and thoughtful editor, one who is generous
and humble to a fault. He had the utmost
consideration for others. God bless him, he
worked his fanny off.”
Jim McEwen, president of Touchpoint
Media, VSGA’s publishing partner for Virginia
Golfer, said that Blair “has an uncanny way of
making people feel good about their work.”
Blair can also get mad if the circumstances
call for it. Randy King of the Roanoke Times
recalled a day at a VSGA Amateur in Hot
Springs when a prominent southwest Virginia
player stormed off after giving King and a
reporting colleague a string of “no comments”
after a tough loss. “When