Today’s post is about Lloyd Blinco, who you can see in this picture – published in 1933 in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Blinco was a player for the Hershey B’ars amateur club and the Daily Eagle did a short write up about his first return to New York. Blinco is seen here in the jersey of his previous club, the Crescent Athletic Club of Brooklyn.
Blinco had a long career with Hershey Estates. He is well known for his contributions to the Hershey Bears Hockey Club, starting as a star player and captain for the Hershey B’ars, and by 1939, became part of the managerial team running the then year old professional Hershey Bears. Blinco quickly became general manager of the Hershey Bears and the Arena, a position he held until 1968. In 1970, Blinco became the first hockey player voted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.
What’s interesting to our group is that in 1963, another title was added to his position. Blinco became the fifth general manager of Hersheypark. He succeeded longtime general manager George Bartels (1949-1963). Rides added during his time that are still in the park today are Helicopters (1964), Space Age (1965), Skyview (1966), and Traffic Jam (1968).
In 1969, Blinco was promoted to president of the Hershey Bears and “consulting general manager of the park and arena.” He was involved in the development of the modernization efforts in 1969-70 that led to the renovations of Hersheypark in the 1970s.
Succeeding Blinco as general manager of the Hershey Bears was Frank Mathers, and as general manager of Hersheypark, Stanley Carpenter, on January 1, 1969. Lloyd Blinco retired on July 1, 1973 as president of the Hershey Hockey Club.
