Obituary: George "Blair" Browder

George “Blair” Browder, 89, passed away Sunday evening, Sept. 16, at NC State Veterans Home in Black Mountain.

Blair was born in Winter Garden, Florida, on May 25, 1929, to the late Cledis and Sarah Russell Browder. Blair served in the U.S. Navy from 1948-1952 as an aviation electronics technician. He was the navigator and radar observer on Martin PBM Mariners patrol planes during the Korean War.

After his service he graduated from Rollins College with a bachelor’s degree and obtained a position in the growing space industry in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Blair then went to work for Martin Marietta in Orlando and was an electrical engineer there for 20 years. In 1971 he received his master’s degree in engineering from University of Florida.

In 1978 Blair began work at the Naval Training Equipment Center in Orlando, Fl. He designed the Virtual Technology Research Simulator, a helmet-mounted display simulator to replace large dome simulators. He was an acknowledged expert in the area of eye-tracked and head-tracked visual displays. He was a consultant to Army, Navy and Air Force organizations and made numerous presentations at national conferences. In 1982 his work resulted in a patent for the Department of the Navy for his invention Servo Control System for the Positioning of an Apparatus.

Of all his achievements, his greatest was the love that he gave to his family. He was a very loving husband, father, grandfather, brother and son. He exemplified what a good man is. He demonstrated love, trust, patience and gentleness.

Blair is preceded in death by his wife of 59 years, Juanita Skipper Browder, who passed away May 14, 2014. Juanita was his caregiver for 21 years despite battling cancer herself.

Blair is survived by a daughter, Joy Perko of Asheville; grandchildren Blair Meeks and partner Ben White of Asheville, Christopher Perko and wife Dr. Veronica Obregon-Perko of Atlanta, Erin Perko and fiance Shehzad Ahmed of Athens, Ohio, Kaila Meeks of Wilmington, North Carolina; and brothers and sisters-in-law, Frank and Jackie Browder of Winter Garden, Florida, and Dr. Steve and Mary Browder of Jacksonville, Florida.

Funeral service arrangements still to be determined.