In 1940, Blair became the first person in El Paso to have a service dog, a German shepherd named Fawn. The pair became famous beyond Texas while lecturing on traffic safety and accident prevention.[4][5][6] In 1946, Blair and Fawn escaped the fatal La Salle Hotel fire in Chicago; their story highlighted the function of service dogs and was covered in newspapers across the country, and on local television stations in Chicago.[7][8][9][10] In 1950, Blair successfully protested when Fawn was not allowed into the United States Senate gallery with her to attend a debate.[11][12]
Blair was elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1952, and served one term.[13][14] As a state representative, she worked for a pay increase for teachers, for the renovation of the state school for the deaf, and for the right of women to serve on juries.[15] She also co-authored a bill requiring jail sentences for drunk drivers. She lost her bid for re-election in 1954, and in three subsequent elections.[16][17]
In her later years, Blair was a fixture on local talk radio in El Paso, and at age 86 ran unsuccessfully for county judge.[18] In 2009, she was honored with a Lifetime Achievement BRAVO Award from the League of Women Voters of El Paso.[19]
