View Blackshear's Odyssey medal acceptance speech.
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Following his graduation from Hendrix, where he majored in biology, Dr. Blackshear attended the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences for his medical training. He also attended the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute and served as a Naval Flight Surgeon in the U.S. Naval Reserve.
A physician with the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System, Dr. Blackshear was in private practice from 1976 to 1993 and specialized in internal medicine. After leaving private practice, he served as medical director for Prudential Health Care Plan, Health Advantage and HMO Partners managed-care insurance plans and was responsible for managing all medical delivery system activities for delivering quality medical care in the most cost-effective manner. In 1996, he joined the Parkway Village Clinic in Little Rock.
In addition to providing medical care for civilian and military patients in Arkansas, Dr. Blackshear has taken more than 100 medical students to Honduras, where they work with Hendrix alumnus and dentist Dr. Billy Roy Capps ’64, to serve those without regular access to physician care. Dr. Blackshear has also been active in the community at large, serving as president of the Caduceus Club and as a class agent and member of the Alumni Board of Governors of Hendrix. He plays clarinet and many other musical instruments and has performed with the Opera Theatre at Wildwood Center for the Performing Arts in Little Rock and also with the Little Rock Wind Symphony, where he previously served as president of the board of directors.