Eric, 75, died at his Oregon home on September 14, 2019. He was raised near Portland, Oregon, attended Reed College and graduated from Portland State University. After jumping at Cave Jct. 1964-66, he joined the Air Force and rose to the rank of captain, spending most of four years working as an air traffic controller.

In 1973 he returned to jumping at NCSB and switched to LaGrande in'74. Eric jumped in Alaska from 1976-93 where he trained a whole generation of Alaska spotters. From Rod Dow (MYC-68): "Blak will long be remembered for his brilliant mind, his pragmatic view of life and his no nonsense approach to virtually everything. Throughout his life, he slept very few hours each night and we all remember the many times he held court around jumper campfires until the morning sun finally sent those few remaining to the sack."