Heart Partners
A Heart-to-Heart With: DR. JOHN BLEVINS
How did you become involved with Olivia's House?
I first started contributing in 2005 after a close friend of mine died and his son, who is my godson, went through some tough times.
What is your favorite memory of Olivia's House?
Touring Olivia's House and seeing the facility and hearing the story of Olivia. The staff gave us an excellent tour.
What is your background?
I was raised in Maryland, and I went to a little Methodist college in West Virginia. I went to dental school at the University of Maryland in Baltimore. The draft was on me every second. They kept sending me notices, "Have you failed out yet?" I had a low draft number, so I joined the Navy right away, as soon as I entered dental school. After graduation, I got stationed at Quonset Point, Rhode Island, which is a really nice Naval Air Station, and I got to do a lot of good dentistry. My wife and I liked New England. We almost settled up there, but the economy was terrible, so we came down here where my parents and her parents are close. I worked for a practice in Hanover for eight months and then opened my practice in York New Salem.
What would people be surprised to know about you?
People would be surprised to know that I'm a bit of a loner. I enjoy being alone at times. Once a month, I'll go down to the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. You go in the front entrance and there are some narrow elevators that go up to the top of this spire, and it overlooks all of D.C. Tourists don't know about it. I go up there, recharge and read.
What can always be found in your refrigerator?
I usually have ice cream in my freezer.
What TV shows do you watch?
The History Channel, public television or C-SPAN, I'm pretty boring. History and politics fascinate me.
Being so successful with your career, are there any unfulfilled ambitions of yours?
I'd like to have flown. My wife bought me some flight lessons for my 50th birthday. I took all the lessons and got in the plane for my first flight. As soon as we get in the air, and the instructor gives me the controls, he starts screaming. So we go up for the second time, and he starts screaming again. I talked to a friend of mine who is a commercial pilot, and he said, "Oh, you had a screamer," that pilots out of the military teach that way because it's what they're used to. It was difficult to enjoy it, and I never learned to fly.
How would you define success?
Success is caring about other people, being good at what you do, and having a positive impact on other people, including my staff.
What was your proudest accomplishment?
Well, I was 15, and I snuck in and I saw President Kennedy get inaugurated in 1961. It was on the east side of the Capitol on a snowy day. I crawled under these people's seats, and got up and was right in front of him, maybe 20 yards away. I looked up and there was Johnson and his wife Lady Bird, Eisenhower and Mimi. I saw Nixon and his wife, and there was Kennedy and this beautiful lady. Then I remember this one guy, with this big, funny beard, talking. It was Robert Frost, poet laureate at the time. He died soon after that.
How do you want to be remembered?
As someone who always made an effort to reach his full potential, a good father, a good husband, and a good dentist-a person who helped people not take life so seriously!
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