Dr. Kurt Blaugher, a beloved teacher, author, father, brother, and friend, recently passed away at the age of 73. During his 38 years of dedicated service to Mount St. Mary’s University, he helped shape generations of aspiring artists through a dynamic theatre arts program and his encouragement, generosity of spirit, and kind-hearted nature.
Born in Pittsburgh, Kurt was the eldest child of D. Edwin Blaugher and Rita (Walters) Blaugher. He carried with him throughout his life the humor, warmth, and loyalty of his “yinzer” roots, along with a lifelong love for his hometown teams. Kurt earned his bachelor’s degree from Washington & Jefferson College and his master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh. He received his Ph.D. in performance studies from Northwestern University.
Kurt’s education reflected his creative and intellectual interests, specifically the ways stories can help people to better understand themselves and the world around them. He joined the Mount’s faculty in 1987 and devoted the next three and a half decades to building the Department of Visual and Performing Arts. In 2023, in recognition of his truly extraordinary service, he was named Professor Emeritus.
At the Mount, Kurt did nearly everything a faculty member can do in university theatre. He acted, taught, directed, produced, advised, challenged, and inspired. Over his distinguished career, he helped bring more than 80 Mount Theatre productions to life, with a repertoire that reflected both his artistic range and his belief in theatre as an essential part of the liberal arts—and of the human condition. Kurt’s productions spanned the classical and contemporary, including Antigone, The Laramie Project, A Post-Electric Play, Mr. Burns, Urinetown, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and A Streetcar Named Desire.
For Kurt, theatre was never merely performance—it was community. It was a way of teaching students how to work together, how to take risks, and how to find their inner courage to thrive on life’s stage. Through Kurt’s personal mentorship since 1987, nearly 200 Mount graduates have completed majors in fine arts. Since 1996 alone, Kurt taught 36 distinct courses across 244 sections, reaching 3,244 students, including 2,391 individual students—an incredible display of his commitment to his students and their education. A father figure on the Mount campus, he is remembered by his students for the steadiness of his guidance, his big smile, and the way he made the theatre program feel like home. Many have carried his lessons into their own classrooms, careers, and creative endeavors.
In addition to his work on the Mount stage, Kurt served as chair of the faculty, participated actively in faculty governance, contributed to the Undergraduate Academic Committee and Middle States steering committees, and served as a faculty marshal and Ducharme lecturer. He was a trusted colleague whose wisdom, institutional memory, and deep care for the university made him a reliable presence in the life of the faculty.
Through the Association for Theatre in the Higher Education (ATHE), Kurt became a colleague and friend to theatre educators across the country. For many, he was synonymous with the warmth and fellowship of the ATHE itself.
In 2017, Kurt published his book, Saving the World and Healing the Soul: Heroism and Romance in Film, a work that reflects his passion for narrative and the universal longing for hope, courage, and connection, and meaning.
Above all, Kurt’s greatest pride in life was his daughter, Amanda Blaugher. Amanda is a 2009 graduate of Mount St. Mary’s, earning a degree in fine arts: music. Kurt is remembered by Amanda’s partner, Jeff Slade. Kurt is also remembered by his sister Gretchen Gockley, her husband James, and their children Allison and Graham; and his brother, Eric Blaugher, and his children Cole Blaugher, Rhiana Blaugher, Rose Blaugher, and Carly Blaugher. He is also remembered by an extended family of countless students, his “adopted” children; his cherished faculty colleagues at the Mount, including his lunch buddies “The Humanities Mafia,” and his fellow MULCHers in the ATHE; and many, many others.
Kurt’s legacy lives on in every student he believed in; every colleague strengthened by his friendship; and every person lucky enough to receive one of his joyful birthday messages, to engage in an uplifting conversation, or hear his boisterous laugh echoed through Flynn Hall.
Kurt will be deeply missed, but always loved and remembered.
Arrangements for a Celebration of Life will be shared by the family at a later date this summer. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed in Kurt’s memory to Mount St. Mary’s Academics VPA- Theatre Fund https://advancement.msmary.edu/register/vpa_theatre