O. Uel Blank was born on April 26, 1921 in Missouri. He earned his B.S. from Missouri State University in 1942, his M.S. from the University of Minnesota in 1950 and his Ph.D. from Michigan State University in 1961. Before joining the faculty at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Blank served as an extension economist at the University of Missouri (1954-1961), director of the Upper Peninsula Extension Center at Michigan State University (1961-1962) and associate director for the Institute for Community Development at Michigan State (1962-1966). In 1966, Dr. Blank accepted the position as professor of agricultural economics and extension specialist at the University of Minnesota. His areas of emphasis are tourism and recreation industries in Minnesota.
From the guide to the Uel Blank papers, 1970s, (University of Minnesota Libraries. University Archives [uarc])
