Although he was from a small town in the Mojave Desert, Rupert Beall Blackmun was to develop a network of friends and family across the world. Rupert died from a stroke following emergency open heart surgery in San Diego. He was 79 years old. He was born in Lone Pine, California at the base of Mt. Whitney, the first child of Lynn and Alene Blackmun. At the age of four, he moved with his family to Westend, a small chemical company town near Trona, California, the gateway to Death Valley.

As a child growing up in the desert and mountains, he had many colorful adventures. After graduating from Trona High School, Rupert briefly attended the University of Arkansas. In 1950, he enlisted in the Marine Corps, and the following year he married Barbara Winston, a recent UCLA graduate who had come to teach in the Trona school. After his Honorable Discharge in 1953, he completed a Masters Degree in Industrial Arts and Education at San Jose State University.

In 1958, he accepted a teaching position at Riverside City College, where he became Chairman of the Vocational Division. He was very active in the Calvary Presbyterian Church, and he enjoyed the "Y's Men" and Indian Guides with his two sons. In 1964, he was asked by the University of Southern California to join a team of five technical educators in establishing the international Malawi Polytechnic College in Blantyre, Malawi, Central Africa. His family accompanied him and assisted in this project, and they returned to the United States in 1969. In 1970, Rupert joined the Industrial Studies Department at San Diego State University as an Assistant Professor, and the Blackmuns moved to La Mesa.

As part of his teaching, he trained Peace Corps volunteers, and lived in Mashaad, Iran for a time in 1973. In 1980, he elected to work with the Telemedia Corporation as a contract instructor for the Royal Saudi Navy. He was stationed at Dammam, Saudi Arabia, teaching naval cadets how to maintain and repair diesel and gas turbine marine engines. These overseas assignments allowed him to visit friends and relations, both new and old, in Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.

Rupert's support and encouragement helped his wife Barbara to complete her Ph.D. in Art History at UCLA. He traveled with her to international conferences, took leadership positions in the African Arts Committee of the San Diego Museum of Art, and served as president of the San Diego Chapter of the Archaeological Institute of America. Rupert was an active member of many civic organizations and church groups. As a board member and president of the La Mesa Lions Club, he was named the 2004 Melvin Jones Fellow by the Lions Clubs International Foundation, for his "dedicated humanitarian services". His neighbors once gave him the title of "The Mayor" of his block. His welcoming smile and infectious enthusiasm will be sorely missed in his community.

In addition to his wife, Dr. Barbara Blackmun, Rupert is survived by his sister, Lynette Petersen, his daughter, Dr. Monica Visona and her husband Dr. Paolo Visona of Lexington, KY; his son William Blackmun and his wife Sandra Blackmun of Spring Valley; his son Lt. Col. Karl Blackmun and his wife Marcia Blackmun of Temecula, his "almost daughter", Julie Carroll of Escondido and her husband Thomas Carroll, his niece Karlyn Carpenter, and his nephew, Theodore Petersen. He leaves eight grandchildren: Marian and Mark Visona, Laura Kelly, and Ross, Christen, Danni, Samuel, and Joseph Blackmun. Rupert's extended family can be found around the world, from California to Arkansas and Minnesota, from Mexico to Scotland, France, Egypt, Italy, and Iran. His memory will live on in his relatives and in his many, many friends.

A Memorial Celebration will be held at 2pm on Monday, February 18th, at the Trinity Presbyterian Church, 3902 Kenwood Drive, Spring Valley 91977. Private Internment will be at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. Published in U-T San Diego on Feb. 6, 2008

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T.SGT. US MARINE CORPS KOREA. obit courtesy of Pam Jeans: Rupert Beal Blackmun, 79, in San Diego. He enlisted in 1950. He later earned a master's degree in industrial arts and education and taught at Riverside City College. He was asked by the University of Southern California to join a team of educators in establishing the international Malawi Polytechnic College in Blantyre Malawi, Africa. He then trained Peace Corps volunteers and lived in Mashaad, Iran in 1973. He also worked as a contract instructor for the Royal Saudi Navy in Dammam. He became president of the San Diego Chapter of the Archaeological Institute of America.