Robert Blair and West End School embark on third year

Two years ago, Robert Blair (LL '93), former Headmaster for Kentucky Country Day, and his wife Debbie, founded the West End School, a boarding school for at-risk 6th through 8th grade boys who can complete grade-level work. Today, eight young boarders live with the Blairs in a house on Chestnut Street until work is completed on a dormitory at the school, the old Carter Elementary School on Virginia Avenue.

Robert Blair and students at the West End School

How and where does one get inspiration for such an ambitious undertaking?

Robert says the idea was born after an experience with his Leadership Louisville class in 1993. During a 3 a.m. police cruiser ride-along which was part of the program, they responded to a call in the west end of Louisville in which a young boy was holding a knife to his mother’s throat. Later that night, while the officer was investigating a drug deal, Blair was left in the cruiser which was soon surrounded by a group of local boys harassing him.  It became very apparent to him that night that those kids had very different prospects than the kids he worked with every day at KCD.

In 2005, Robert and Debbie Blair’s vision for a different kind of school took root with the opening of the West End School. With the community’s support, their goal is to expand the school to 36 students living in a dormitory situation by 2010.

Robert Blair’s experience during his Leadership Louisville participation helped plant the seed for a passionate effort that is changing the lives of inner-city boys.

Stay tuned for more examples of how Leadership Louisville Center programs help produce tangible results by connecting the people, places, and resources in our community. If you know of a great example that you’d like to share, contact Peggy Clements.