Nelson A. Blish (MS Systems Science Egr ’70), senior counsel at Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester, N.Y., was recently recognized as a Kodak Distinguished Inventor for reaching a milestone of 20 U.S. patents. The patents cover a broad spectrum of technologies, including digital cameras, document scanners, lenticular images, and halftone printing.
Blish received his BS degree in Systems Engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., in 1969. After commissioning as an ensign, he received orders to attend Michigan State University under the Navy’s immediate graduation program. Upon graduating from MSU, Blish served in the U.S. Navy on submarines before starting his civilian career.
Leaving active duty in 1976, he attended law school at William & Mary and received his juris doctor degree in 1979. Prior to Kodak, Blish worked as a patent counsel at Philip Morris Research Laboratories in Richmond, Va., and at Cooper Industries in Houston, Texas.
His daughter, Madeleine, skated with Disney on Ice for 10 years and is currently a nursing student at St. John Fisher College. His son, Jacob, is CEO of a startup company, Enertia Beverage.
Blish is also the author of two published novels—Ishmael’s Son and The Taking of the King. Both are being adapted for screenplays.
