Andrew Blau was born on September 28, 1947 in Budapest, Hungary.  He was the only child of the marriage of Miksa and Elizabeth Blau.

Andrew had more than his share of obstacles to overcome in his life.  His parents had both been imprisoned in concentration camps in Hungary.  His mother had gotten TB as a result of conditions there and unfortunately gave it to Andrew.  He had to be separated for many months from his parents while being treated in a sanitorium.  In 1956 he and his parents were among the 200,000 people who fled Hungary during the Hungarian Revolution and among the 30,000 refugees accepted into the United States.

He was unable to pass intelligence tests in English as his school did not not  recognize that foreign speaking children needed to have tests designed in a different way. He was to be placed in special education classes. Fortunately his family fought to have him reevaluated using more pictures.  He was then placed in regular classes, succeeded in learning English, was naturalized as a U.S. citizen and graduated with a bachelor's degree.

He was always fascinated with science. He obtained a pilot's license and assisted the government in some activities which contributed to successful operations both in the U.S. and abroad.  He worked as a pharmaceutical salesman.  His research study on a new product was approved by the FDA for use as promotional literature. Andrew taught in-service programs in hospitals for physicians and nurses. He traveled widely. He enjoyed seeing different cultures and learning to cook recipes from the many places he visited. He brought back not only memories but also interesting and beautiful things.

What began as an enjoyable pastime with computers became a second career. Andrew formed his own computer company.  He found and stopped computer theft from a client's network computers. In only two months he turned business around for a wholesaler who was not getting business from a state contract, taking the company from almost $0 revenue to $25,000 per month.  His career was cut short in 1993 when he suffered a permanent disabling traumatic brain injury from an automobile accident.  Despite that serious injury he was able to maintain his great sense of humor and positive outlook, do some limited travel and spend many happy years with the love of his life.

Andy passed away on January 12, 2023, survived by his devoted partner of almost 25 years, Gail Watson. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Andrew's name to National Aviation Hall of Fame .

Family will be observing Shiva at the home of Gail Watson on Wednesday-Thursday from 12 p.m. - 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. - 7 p.m.; Friday from 12 p.m. - 2 p.m.; Sunday from 12 p.m. - 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. For more information and details please reach out to Shiva Connections at 845-309-3786.

National Aviation Hall of Fame
1100 Spaatz Street, Dayton OH 45433
Tel: 1-937-256-0944
Email: mscharrer@nationalaviation.org
Web: https://nationalaviation.org/