(*Portrait used with permission from Michael Sull’s Spencerian Script and Ornamental Penmanship, Volume I.)

Stanley Matthews Blue

(1874-1936)

Penman Stanley Matthews Blue, known to many penmen as "Billy" Blue. Mr. Blue was one of the outstanding business and ornamental writers. He was born July 12, 1874 at Princeton, Ohio At the age of 3 he went to live with his grandparents on a farm near Cincinnati where he attended country school and later high school in Middle, town, Ohio. In 1897 he entered Ohio School of Business, Dayton, Ohio. In 1898 he entered The Zanerian College at Columbus, Ohio, working his was through and graduating March 22, 1901 with a handwriting excelled by few penmen. He taught penmanship in Broken B., Business College, Broken Ron, Nebr.; Grand Island, Nebr. Business College; Brokers Business College, Worcester, Mass.; and worked in the office of The Educator doing office work and skillful writing. On August 31, 1903 he was married to Miss Maude Jacobs, of New Helena, Nebr. In 1908 he went to Portland and taught in Armstrong Business College for a number of years. He was employed in the assessor's and auditor's office. For the past 19 years he has been employed by the S. P. & S. Railroad. His death occurred on September 4, 1936. Besides his wife, he is survived by a daughter, Zanerian Leffingwell of Los Angeles, California, and a grandson Richard. Mr. Blue's skillful penmanship graces the pages of many scrapbooks containing the finest collections of penmanship. When Mr. Blue worked for the Zaner-Bloser Company he came under the influence of those two masters, Zaner and Bloser. He took a special liking for the work of Mr. Bloser and succeeded in writing a similar style. In fact, it was so similar that experts often found it difficult to distinguish the difference between the two men's work. Some years ago The Educator published a great deal of his work.

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