Former Bobcat Wrestler Rings in New Year with Gift to MSU Athletics
12/29/2009 4:44:47 PM | General
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“I probably learned the lesson too late to do me much good as a wrestler, but it really helped me later on,” said Blewett, now 64. “It's what trial work is all about. You better outwork the other side if you're going to win.”
And win he has. Blewett, who practices law in Great Falls, is probably most noted for the $21.4 million dollar verdict he obtained against a high-powered law firm in Seltzer vs. Morton, a case that found in favor of Western art expert Steve Seltzer of Great Falls, who refused to authenticate a painting he believed to be a fake Charlie Russell. The verdict in actual and punitive damages was one of the largest in the country in 2005 and attracted attention from the Wall Street Journal and other national publications. Blewett is also one of only 100 lawyers named to the
Blewett, who was just elected to his second term on the MSU Foundation Board of Directors, hopes the gift will help advance the visibility of MSU's athletic programs and draw more student-athletes to the university. He also said it will help student-athletes perform better -- a sentiment others at MSU echo.
"Mr. Blewett's gift is a wonderful way for the university to start the New Year," said incoming MSU President Waded Cruzado. "His thoughtful generosity will help our student-athletes for many years to come."
“State-of-the-art facilities add power and strength to every athletic program,” said Peter Fields, MSU's athletic director. “Athletes who are well-conditioned not only perform to higher standards in their chosen sports, but are also mentally and academically sharper.”
In the same way, wrestling helped Blewett beyond the mat by teaching him not to be afraid to fail, Blewett said.
“In addition to the physical aspect, there's an intellectual and mental toughness you learn in wrestling, and that's exactly the same in trial work,” Blewett said. “Everyone has a fear of losing, and it prevents a lot of people from participating. The fear gets to be too great.”
As in wrestling, people can overcome fear of failure with practice.
“If you've wrestled, you will have lost enough that you don't have a fear of losing,” Blewett said. “In the legal profession, especially the trial portion, there's a whole lot of drama, and a whole lot of uncertainty. Everyone's afraid of losing, and you just have to overcome that fear.”
Blewett grew up in
“Wrestling was very hard work, and I really wasn't very good at it,” Blewett said. “But I liked it.” He also made life-long friends, he said.
Blewett studied electrical engineering for his first two years at MSU, but he switched gears after discovering that he was actually a better mathematician. Blewett planned to look for a job as a mathematician with the
After graduating from MSU in 1967, Blewett was about to receive a draft notice and planned to join the Army. However, he also had an opportunity to be a medic, and so he joined the Army Reserve instead. A year later, Blewett enrolled in law school at the
Since then, Blewett has practiced law in
Blewett has no plans to retire anytime soon, particularly because he's happy to be practicing law with his two sons, Anders, 29, and Drew, 28. Both sons also participated in sports at the college level.
Just as wrestling helped Blewett, he hopes his gift will do the same for MSU's student-athletes, even though MSU no longer has a wrestling team.
“Sports are hard, and doing hard things is good for people,” Blewett said. “In my view, anything that is difficult to do is very important in building character. You improve yourself by working hard, and then you do better and get better results.”
Blewett hopes the gift will attract student-athletes to MSU and enable them to do their best while they're here, so they'll be better equipped to succeed once they leave, Blewett said.
And, he considers sharing what he has earned as his duty.
“A lot of us have had good fortune, whether through hard work or taking the right fork in the road, and giving back seems like the appropriate thing to do,” Blewett said. “Especially now, if you're in a position to help out your alma mater, it's probably time to step up and do so.”
Blewett's is the third gift in three years of $500,000 or more from members of the
