Reid Blackburn

Reid Blackburn
Reid Blackburn, picture taken 1970–1971.
Born
Reid Turner Blackburn

(1952-08-11)August 11, 1952
Washington, D.C., United States[1]
DiedMay 18, 1980(1980-05-18) (aged 27)
near Mount St. Helens, Washington, U.S. 46°17′53.1″N 122°17′23.5″W / 46.298083°N 122.289861°W / 46.298083; -122.289861
Cause of deathKilled by a pyroclastic flow caused by the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens
NationalityAmerican
OccupationPhotographer
Blackburn's Volvo 144 after the eruption

Reid Turner Blackburn (August 11, 1952[citation needed] – May 18, 1980) was an American photographer killed in the 1980 volcanic eruption of Mount St. Helens.[2] A photojournalist covering the eruption for a local newspaper—the Vancouver, Washington The Columbian[3]—as well as National Geographic magazine[4] and the United States Geological Survey,[5] he was caught at Coldwater Camp in the blast.[6][7]

Blackburn's car and body were found four days after the eruption.[8] His camera, buried under the debris of the eruption, was found roughly one week later.[9]

After his death, Blackburn was praised by his coworkers and friends alike. They spoke of his talent and enthusiasm, as well as his sometimes "acerbic" sense of humor.[10] His wife, Fay, concluded that he had died doing what he loved.[11]

  1. ^ "Reid Blackburn". National Press Photographers Association. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  2. ^ Ryll T, and Olsen K (May 18, 2005). "Overshadowed". The Columbian. Scott Campbell.
  3. ^ "Timeline of The Columbian Newspaper". Archived from the original on April 28, 2007. Retrieved May 22, 2007.
  4. ^ Stoler P (May 18, 1981). "Slowly, the Wounds Begin to Heal". Time Magazine. Archived from the original on August 19, 2009. Retrieved May 22, 2001.
  5. ^ Banaszynski, Jacqui (May 30, 1980). "A Day for Remembering Reid". Register-Guard. Guard Publishing Co. Retrieved May 20, 2011.
  6. ^ Findley R (2000). "Mount St. Helens: Nature on Fast Forward". National Geographic. May. Archived from the original on May 11, 2000. Retrieved May 22, 2007.
  7. ^ "Path of destruction: The lateral blast". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved May 22, 2007. [dead link‍]
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference TC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference camera was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference SDC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference SR was invoked but never defined (see the help page).