A. Edward ‘Ted’ Blackmar III M.D.
September 29, 2010
SARANAC LAKE - A. Edward "Ted" Blackmar III, M.D., 88, of Camp Forestcraft on Upper Saranac Lake, died Sept. 26, 2010 at Meadowbrook Health Care in Plattsburgh.
Born in Scarsdale on Jan. 16, 1922, he was the only son of Abel Edward and Dorothy (Bernard) Blackmar Jr.
Ted graduated from Hamilton College and New York Medical School, practicing as resident physician at the Peddie and Lawrenceville schools in central New Jersey until he retired to his camp in the Adirondacks Mountains in 1973.Ted served in the Navy during World War II and in the Korean War as medical officer with the 1st Marine Division on the front lines as well as at the Portsmouth Naval Hospital.
The Adirondack Mountains were the light of Ted's life.Unmarried, his children were many - the boys and girls who attended the summer camp he founded in 1948 on Gilpin Bay, and in whose lives his legacy rests. Camp Forestcraft, a unique outdoor camp and family resort, offered children 12 through 16 years of age the opportunity to make decisions for themselves.There was no regimen such as archery, crafts, etc., but weekly camping trips into the woods, the mountains, lakes and rivers Ted knew and loved so well were organized by the campers and their counselors. Campers, too, were expected to contribute to the running of the camp through work assignments.
Tributes from former campers are many, and one local gentleman who is a former camper wrote, "You are a champ, Ted, and you mean the world to me ... you have touched my life profoundly."Ted's daily "lectures" from before the fireplace following meals enlightened some and were soporific for others, but were always a source of wisdom from a man whose goal was to form young people into productive and ethical adults.
Ted's love of the Adirondacks was nurtured during his early years at Lake Clear Inn and through his close friendships with year-round residents, Ted and Gertrude Peete and the Bill Wardners.Ted's grandfather, at the age of 18 years in 1870, wrote a diary of his experiences in the Great North Woods, a copy of which is in the Saranac Lake Free Library's Adirondack Room.
A world traveler, Ted hiked in Patagonia, the European Alps, New Zealand, the High Sierras, five treks in the Nepalese Himalayas and more, as well as more than 30 canoe trips in Canada with his camp groups.His color photographs and slides are vibrant depictions of landscapes throughout the world.In Nepal, he met his close friend, Mary Brumder, who predeceased him in 1999.
Ted is survived by his sister, Polly Ohman, and her husband, Bengt, of Lake Clear.He is also survived by 11 nieces and nephews including Kinna Ohman of Goshen, Vt. and Peter Ohman of Bozeman, Mont.His sisters, Anne and Joan, predeceased him.
Ted's ashes will be interred in the Harrietstown Cemetery near Saranac Lake, and a gathering in his memory will be held at a later date.Memorial donations may be made to the A. Edward Blackmar Fund and mailed to Adirondack Community Trust, P.O. Box 288, Lake Placid, NY 12946.Funeral arrangements are in care of the Fortune-Keough Funeral Home in Saranac Lake.
