Rising from the ashes

Darrell Blevins, a public history graduate student at Wright State, has rebuilt his life after a series of tragic events.

On the fourth floor of Paul Laurence Dunbar Library in Wright State University’s Special Collections and Archives, Darrell Blevins peers into a display case of photos commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Xenia tornado. Blevins curated the exhibit after sifting through hundreds of photos and newspaper stories from the Dayton Daily News archives along with boxes of personal letters and photos about the disaster.

While his circumstances may be different, Blevins understands the grit and determination that was needed as the residents of Xenia began to rebuild their lives. Blevins, a public history graduate student at Wright State, has undertaken a similar journey following tragic loss.

In October 2021, Blevins underwent knee replacement surgery. Due to a rare infection following the procedure, he had to undergo five additional surgeries. While he was hospitalized for one of those surgeries, his mother-in-law passed away. Ten days later, on March 22, 2022, his wife died.

Blevins had met his wife in 1997. They became college sweethearts, married and had two children.

“It was just devastating for me,” said Blevins.

Amidst his gut-wrenching grief and intense pain from multiple knee surgeries, Blevins was also struggling with being unemployed and on disability. Due to his physical challenges, he had been forced to leave his job and a steady income in the roofing and siding industry.

As he began rebuilding his life after losing his partner of 25 years, Blevins decided to return to school. He enrolled in Wright State University’s Master of Humanities program and began taking classes in January 2023.

Blevins later transferred from the humanities program to the Master of Arts in History program, with a concentration in public history.

“It just seemed like a natural fit for me,” said Blevins, who has always been interested in archives and museums.

To develop hands-on experience for his future career path — and help pay for the gasoline for his commute from his Springfield-area home — Blevins works about 20 hours a week in Wright State’s Special Collections and Archives.

Blevins relishes looking up mechanical drawings on microfilm by aviation pioneers and the university’s namesakes Orville and Wilbur Wright; helping out in the reading room; and assisting visitors to the world-renowned collections housed in the archives.

“The work is fascinating,” he said, “because I have a huge interest in history.”

By the fall of 2023, life was finally looking up for Blevins. He was healing from the devasting loss of his wife and had found love again. He was enjoying his classes and his work in Special Collections and Archives.

Just a few days after Thanksgiving, tragedy struck again.

In addition to pursuing a master’s degree, Darrel Blevins works in Wright State’s Special Collections and Archives.

Blevins and his daughter — who is also a Wright State student — lost their home and two beloved family pets in a fire.

“We were homeless. We had no belongings, no food, just the clothes on our backs,” Blevins recalled.

His Wright State professors were understanding of his situation, and one of his professors told him about the College of Liberal Arts Emergency Fund, which provides one-time funding to students facing an unexpected or sudden emergency that prevents them from taking classes.

Blevins applied and received $500 from the emergency fund. That money was a godsend for Blevins and his daughter as they waited for reimbursement from their insurance company.

“The money wasn’t as important to me as it was knowing that it was there for me to get what we needed,” he recalled. “I didn’t know the next day where we were going to be sleeping or eating.”

The family ended up living in a hotel for three months before they could move into another home.

During that time, Blevins also received help from his colleagues in Dunbar Library and Special Collections and Archives, who gave him cash and gift cards to nearby grocery stores and restaurants.

“I am just completely and utterly overwhelmed at the amount of support I’ve received,” he said. “This is why I like Wright State. It feels like a community.”

While life has dealt Blevins numerous blows over the last few years, he prefers to look at the bright side and find silver linings wherever he can.

“I still don’t know why my house burned down, but I’m still here,” he said. “I’m still working on a master’s degree. I’ve got a great girl that I love. Some of what we lost was irreplaceable family stuff, but nothing valuable. How can you not be thankful that your kid wasn’t hurt?”

Like the survivors of the Xenia tornado five decades ago, Blevins is the epitome of resilience.

“Although I’ve been beaten down repeatedly,” he said, “I’m still here and I’m stronger than ever.”