Friends School Remembers Gary Blauvelt, Beloved Upper School English Teacher

The Friends School community was deeply saddened to learn the news of the passing of beloved long-time Upper School English teacher Gary Blauvelt.

Mr. Blauvelt spent his career at Friends, being a part of the community for 41 years, from 1963 to 2004. After retirement, he continued teaching, albeit with students more similar in age. Once a week, he held poetry classes for his fellow Roland Park Place residents up until his final days. He was truly a lifelong educator.

During his time at Friends, Mr. Blauvelt exposed students to classic works of literature but also instilled an appreciation for poetry in his young students. He was passionate about his work and was known for teaching some of the best, most challenging courses students would take at Friends or even in college. 

After only being at Friends for four years, the Class of 1967 dedicated their yearbook to him and wrote, "He showed us that English was meaning, and that meaning could be found not only in Great Expectations, but also in The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner. He showed us that this subject was part of life, not divorced from it, and that a teacher could be a part of our life, too. And, so, in a pair of sunglasses, he wandered into a classroom and became one of us, demonstrated that the concerns of a teacher need not be so very different from our own."  When Head of School Christian Donovan shared the news of Mr. Blauvelt's passing with alumnus and former faculty member Jon Garman ’75 he responded with, "you can bet everyone in heaven is now reading Great Expectations."

In 1997 Mr. Blauvelt received the Honorary Alumni Award. In the Fall 1997 edition of Collection (now Friends Magazine), he is quoted saying "I feel like an alum. On Parents Night, half of the faces I see come in have sat in my class before as students!" He taught siblings, parents, aunts, and uncles - he was truly an institution at Friends. In addition to this honor, Forbush Room 249 was dedicated to Mr. Blauvelt at the time of his retirement.

Mr. Blauvelt was a cornerstone of this community. We hope you will join us in honoring his legacy at Friends and holding his family and friends in the Light.

While there is no information about services in the obituary at this time, we will update our community should information become available. 

To carry forward Mr. Blauvelt’s legacy, gifts can be made here: https://alumni.friendsbalt.org/giving