Bruce Blanchard

Holding hands with his beloved wife, Bruce Blanchard passed away peacefully on Christmas evening 2024--exactly 92 years after his birth in a small calvary post in the Philippines. He was the first of three children born to Colonel Wendell Blanchard and Marcella Palmer Blanchard. As an Army brat, his father’s military assignments determined the various locations where he grew up including Kentucky, Georgia, Massachusetts, and Kansas.

After graduating from high school in Kansas, Bruce attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) before enlisting in the Army for two years during the Korean war. He then returned to MIT and received his SB and SM in civil engineering. As a student, he was President of the Athletic Association and a member of Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity, the Osiris Society, the Activities Council, and the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) Cadet Staff. Bruce enjoyed playing lacrosse, and he eventually served as assistant coach of the lacrosse team for MIT’s Class C (now Division III) National Championship. After graduation, he played on lacrosse teams in Arizona and Colorado. Bruce and his first wife Sidney had three children-Wendell, Laura and Renee-whom he loved very much. Between 1956 to 1973, they lived in Massachusetts, Colorado, Arizona, and Maryland. Bruce married Mary Josie Cain in 1992, and for over 32 years, they had a wonderful life together in Washington DC.

Following MIT, Bruce spent almost 48 years in the U.S. Department of the Interior (Interior), first as a hydrologist measuring water resources in western States and then as a planning engineer for the Central Arizona Project. As he said, “All roads led to Rome.” Bruce was recruited by the cabinet-level U.S. Water Resources Council where he supervised the preparation of the first National Assessment of the Nation’s Water Resources. He then served in several Senior Executive positions in Interior. He became Director of the Secretary’s new environmental office created, in part, to develop and implement Interior procedures for compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act. He provided advice on current significant natural resources and environmental issues. He ultimately reviewed and personally approved over 1000 environmental impact statements and supervised the review and comment on significant issues in 18,000 environmental documents referred to Interior from other agencies. As Deputy Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bruce was responsible for planning the development of the National Conservation Training Center, the Nation’s premier conservation training center. Bruce also served Interior as a Special Assistant for Tribal Self Governance. Bruce received the Department’s highest honors: the Distinguished Medal and the Meritorious Medal. In 1993, he was elected as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Bruce was also selected by his fraternity as a Distinguished Figi.

Beyond responsibilities at Interior, Bruce participated in a myriad of outside activities. He served in the Arizona Army National Guard in 1957 until transferring to the Maryland Army National Guard as a First Lieutenant in 1967. In 1980, Bruce accepted an honorary diploma from the Commissioned General Staff Course at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Bruce was also one of the original founders of the National Guard Association of Maryland. Over the years, he held several leadership positions including serving as Task Force commander and Center Commander of the 29th Rear Area Operations Center where he earned the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. During his 33 years of service, he received multiple Federal and State commendations, achievement medals, and ribbons, and he was promoted to Colonel in the Maryland Army National Guard.

Bruce was active in the MIT Club of Washington D.C.- serving as Club President from 1999 to 2000. He then served on the Board of Directors of the MIT Alumni in Cambridge, MA from 2001 to 2003.

Bruce became a member of The Explorers Club (TEC) in 1978. He received TEC’s prestigious Sweeney Medal in 2015, which is the highest medal for dedication to this international club. He then served as the TEC’s Treasurer in New York City for more than four years. Bruce also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Explorers Club Washington Group (ECWG) from 1995 until he stepped down in December 2022. He served with distinction as ECWG’s Treasurer for 25 years and was honored in May 2023 as ECWG Treasurer Emeritus.

Bruce was definitely a renaissance man. Not only did Bruce enjoy lacrosse and other sports, but he also liked jazz and classical music (symphony and piano), ballet, theater, and reading newspapers, magazines and books to satisfy his intellectual curiosity. Travel was another passion which he and Mary Josie enjoyed together--travelling to many diverse countries and continents from the Artic to Antarctica. Bruce was not only intelligent, but he was also gracious and charming, with readily apparent wit. He treated people with kindness and respect. His remarkable life touched so many.

Bruce is survived by his wife Mary Josie Blanchard; his sister Carol Blanchard; daughters Laura Blanchard and Renee Maxey; daughter-in-law Denise Blanchard; grandchildren Kendall (Ryan) Cleary, Jennifer (Trey) Dole, Eric Maxey, Cameron Dean, Canyon Blanchard, and Sophia Blanchard, and great grandson, Riley Bruce Dole; as well as his nephew Nathaniel (Alysa) Slinkert, nieces Lenneke (Mike) Heckathorn and Sarah Hudock; extended family Elena (Paul) Dettmer, Charley Drayer, and Angie Ulmer; and Cain relatives by marriage [Tom, Laura, Johnathan, Jeremy (Tiffany), Mary Christine (Chris) Vaughan, and Sarah]. Preceding Bruce in death were his parents, son Wendell Blanchard, and nephew Sharrock Gochenour. Two weeks after Bruce’s passing, his sister Lydia Blanchard followed him in death.

On March 7, from 4 to 6:30, the family will receive friends at the Eisenhower Room at Joseph Gawler’s Sons Funeral Home at 5130 Wisconsin Avenue NW in Washington DC 20016, and on March 8 at 2pm, a celebration of Bruce’s life and memorial service will be held at the Church of the Pilgrims Presbyterian Church (2201 P Street NW, Washington DC 20037). Interment will be at Arlington National Cemetery at a future date. Honorary pallbearers are Eric Maxey, Cameron Dean, Canyon Blanchard, Nathaniel Slinkert, Tom Cain, Jeremy Cain, and Johnathan Cain. In lieu of flowers, donations in Bruce Blanchard’s name may be given to any charity of your choice. Suggestions are the National Wildlife Refuge Association, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, the Cheetah Conservation Fund, The Explorers Club Washington Group (student grant fund), and the National Guard Association of Maryland.