Born literally in the shadow of El Paso's Franklin Mountains, as a boy Bob Blystone flew homemade kites for hours in the March winds of west Texas.  There he and his wife attended the same grade school and high school.  While in public school he played violin, trombone, and piano perhaps reflecting the proclivities of his father, a professional musician.  First in his family to go to college, he followed a premed path as a chemistry major with the encouragement of his mother, a registered nurse.  He graduated as a biology major having taught his first college zoology laboratory on the eve of his 20th birthday.

In graduate school Blystone focused on anatomy, both micro and gross.  He was fascinated with the idea that function followed form.  He was employed at Trinity University in January of 1971 with the responsibility of operating the electron microscopes there.  He taught more than 280 undergraduates how to visualize cellular fine structure with both the transmission and scanning electron microscopes.  In 1976 he began a series of projects for the United State Air Force Office for Scientific Research beginning with the documentation of laser damage to retinas and ending with millimeter radiation of skin resulting in thermal load.  Along the way he developed a profound interest in computer reconstruction of anatomical data in three, four, and five dimensions.

Bob Blystone has received funding for educational research and activities from private foundations and the National Science Foundation.  He has served on numerous national education committees and given many educational workshops.  His current interests have become focused on issues of public and global health.

Donna and Bob Blystone are looking forward to their 50th wedding anniversary.  And as the March winds begin, Blystone and his young grandson look forward to building kites and flying them in the pale blue San Antonio sky.