Bob Blackburn, "The Voice of the Sonics"
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Bob Blackburn's path to Northwest Benefit Auctions and his life have taken him through Fullerton Union H.S., Fullerton J.C. and USC scholastically in Southern California and through over 50 years of major city radio and television on the Pacific Coast. He has spend his career in radio: 1 year - KVOE, Santa Ana; 2 years KFAC, Hollywood; 4 years KFRE, Fresno, then 18 years freelance in Portland and 25 yrs as radio and sometimes TV simulcast for the Seattle Supersonics in the NBA as the Northwest's first major league sportscaster. In Portland he freelanced on several TV stations and personally developed large Northwest radio networks for both the Portland Beavers baseball and Oregon State University football and basketball. In Seattle he also did some freelance work on several TV stations.
During those years he earned three very important honors for his work. In 1986 he was inducted into Fullerton High's all time Wall of Fame which included such luminaries as Pres. Richard Nixon and Baseball Hall of Fame's Walter Johnson, Arky Vaughn and Del Crandall. In 2001 he was inducted into the State of Washington's sports Hall of Fame and in 2002 he was inducted into the State of Oregon's sports Hall of Fame.
In 1992, following his retirement from the Seattle Supersonic broadcasts Bob Blackburn turned a page in his life and went into two new and highly diversified endeavors both of which fitted his style, that of being a people person and working directly with people in a very public manner. He became a tour director for Connie Swanson Travel and assisted by his wife, Patricia, handled the direction of 28 world wide cruises or land trips in seven years (four per year) taking an average group of about 45 people into 83 different countries. At the same time, he decided to advance something he had done for about 22 years up to that time... Announcing at major auctions and doing a few on an amateur basis to becoming a fulltime auctioneer.
Since 1992, Blackburn again assisted by wife Pat as his stage spotter and recording all live auction sales, has done 277 auctions prior to joining Northwest Benefit Auctions. From 1995 to 2004 he was a strong factor in assisting six schools to raise from 30 to 40 thousand dollar auctions to over $100,000 auctions. These schools were St. Luke, Assumption, St. John, St. Anthony, Sr. Francis of Assisi and the University Child Development School.
Blackburn, as the original and first 25 years of the "Voice of the Sonics" brings a familiar name and a bit of celebrity to auctions and sometimes will donate a sports memorabilia item to an auction. He has a friendly, relaxed style in which he tries to get people in the audience as personalities not just buyers. |
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