If you’ve spent time at some of Greene County’s historical landmarks, cruised on in to 50s Fest, or possibly even needed help along the road to recovery, chances are you’ve encountered George ‘Bly’ Blystone in your travels. Bly’s talents and willingness to help others have made him an integral part of our southwestern Pennsylvania community. And he has no intention of stopping anytime soon.
“It’s just a bad habit,” he says with a smile when asked what leads him to give so much back to the community. “If somebody says, ‘I need this,’ I’m pretty much there.”
Bly was born and raised in California and grew up in the Valley and Hollywood. The Blystone family was from this area of Pennsylvania, having settled here in the 1700s. The family eventually made their way to Wisconsin and then to Hollywood for the film industry. In 1970 Bly moved to Greene County with his friend John Eckerd and his family. John and Bly were both Civil War buffs and wanted to be closer to Gettysburg. Greene County was a perfect fit with a “cheap farm for sale.” Bly spent 40 years in reenactment as part of Knapp’s Battery and his time with the reenactment group led to his longest volunteerism – The Greene County Historical Society Museum.
Knapp’s Battery headquartered at the museum’s location on Rolling Meadows Road. At the museum’s grand opening, the Battery was part of the flag and later began holding reenactments there. Bly began volunteering at the museum, and he celebrated 50 years as a museum volunteer in April. Through the museum, Bly also became involved with the W.A. Young & Sons Foundry and Machine Shop in Rices Landing. At the time, the foundry was owned by the Greene County Historical Society; it later was sold to Rivers of Steel Heritage Corporation in 2009.
“George Kelly told me I needed to go down to the foundry, so I went with him. I was very impressed by what was going on,” Bly says. When Bly started volunteering at the foundry in 2000, the building hadn’t seen the renovations that would make it the historic attraction it is today. The space was cluttered, the machines weren’t working, and the foundry only opened one day a year for the annual Hammer-In. The museum was unable to assist financially for renovations, so George Kelly used his volunteerism and own money to improve it. “He was the guy that put it back together,” Bly adds.
George taught Bly what needed to be done and how to run the machines. When George got cancer, Bly took over and continued the work on the foundry. Sadly, George passed away in 2007.
When Rivers of Steel took over ownership in 2009, restoration efforts were increased. Bly continued his services, additional help was found, scrap and trash were thrown away, and the foundry was cleaned up. Now the foundry is open every Sunday for tours.
“I like to see it run,” Bly says about the foundry. “George Kelly said he wanted to see it run when he put that engine in there. And I like to see it run every weekend.” There are new machines to see running, and volunteers like machinist Steve Niderriter and blacksmith Gary Shriver, and site manger TJ Porfeli doing the work and keeping it going. “We’re a team, and we’re in there every Sunday putting stuff together, hanging belts, and doing exciting stuff.”
George also got Bly involved in the 50s Fest & Car Cruise held annually in downtown Waynesburg. His involvement started small, but when George died, Bly was determined to be a part of the event and began parking cars the day of the event. Bly is also a member of the committee and instrumental in the organization of the goody bags provided to attendees at the event.
Bly is also the caretaker for the clock at the county courthouse in Waynesburg. Because he had worked on the museum’s clock and got it running, Farley Toothman reached out to Bly to get the courthouse clock working. After a workman said it was unfixable, Bly took a look, did some research and was able to find the necessary gears to fix it, which he did. The clock has been running since 2010.
But it’s Bly’s work in recovery that is the most meaningful for him. As a recovering alcoholic with 42 years sober, Bly has spent decades helping others on the same path. He is currently on the Human Services Board of Directors and on the Drug & Alcohol Committee. “If I don’t have my work in recovery, I don’t have anything,” Bly says.
When Bly came out Gateway Rehab in 1979, he realized that while the groups talked about being anonymous, “If I’m anonymous, nobody knows. And that’s not good. I told myself and everyone else that I wasn’t going to be anonymous.”
After his time at rehab, Bly got a job at the hospital through the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR). As Bly worked at the hospital and the staff there learned more about him, thanks to his pledge to not be anonymous, he began helping those that came into the Emergency Room that were drunk or needed help with alcoholism. During his sixteen years at the hospital, Bly started an Alcoholics Anonymous group at the hospital to help others.
“Alcoholic Anonymous teachers you how to live another way. A lot of that stuff is naturally in my everyday life. One day at a time, one minute at a time. It all works.”
After leaving the hospital, he and a group of others started Steps Inside in 2002. Through Steps Inside and the Community Recovery in Rural Communities Committee, volunteers began helping with addiction and recovery, while spreading the word that there was help available. Community outreach included a march for addiction awareness in Greene County, a role in the Town Hall Meetings, and providing information at local events.
The group’s community efforts branched out to include an additional resource for those in recovery. In 2014, the men’s Oxford House Cumberland in Waynesburg was opened. In 2016, the Bird Sisters Oxford House for women was opened. Both homes had high success rates but unfortunately, had to close due to dwindling resources. But that hasn’t stopped Bly or Steps Inside. They continue to provide outreach for community members struggling with addiction and recovery.
In 2019, Bly was honored with the Jack McCracken Award during the July Rain Day celebration. The award is presented “to an individual who has been a humanitarian, civic leader, role model, who served God, family and community with integrity and an open heart.” Bly received a plaque on the Rain Day stage during the awards ceremony. This award was only the start of the cascade of recognition that Bly was to receive over the next couple of years.
In early October, the Tourist Promotion Agency of Greene County introduced the Hospitality Awards to recognize events, employees, and volunteers for their dedication, service, and community involvement. The Hospitality Volunteer of the Year honors a volunteer who goes above and beyond normal volunteer responsibilities and judged on outstanding service to their place of volunteering, community, and visitors. The announcement that Bly was the winner was made even more special by the fact the event was on his birthday. He even got a birthday cake!
Later that month, Bly received the Distinguished Service Award from the Greene County Chamber of Commerce. The Distinguished Service Award is “bestowed based on lasting contributions to community welfare, participation in civic organizations, evidence of leadership ability, success in vocation, personal and/or business progress, and cooperation with other individuals and organizations.”
In addition to those awards, Bly has received recognition from the Pennsylvania Senate, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, The United States Congress House of Representatives, and the Greene County Commissioners. Bly was also the Grand Marshall of the Christmas parade held at the Greene County Fairgrounds – the second time he’s had the honor since 2019.
“I was flabbergasted [about the awards]. It wasn’t too bad when I got the recognition from Tourism, but then I started getting all these other things,” Bly shares. “I don’t really think I needed this kind if recognition,” he adds. “But it’s been pretty exciting.”
“I don’t get frustrated. It’s all one day at a time. If it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t, but it often seems like things will just fall into place. The best part is seeing it happen. It’s not the applause or anything, it’s just to be able to see it work – whatever it is. 50s Fest, the foundry, the museum… With a little work, a lot of stuff can happen. “