07/23/2026
The mayor of Tulsa declared August 7th "David Blatt Day." He was already packing.
After nearly thirty years in Oklahoma — building one of the most respected policy institutes in the country, in one of the most conservative states in the union — David Blatt walked away at the height of it. He left the organization he founded. Then he left the country.
He's sixty-two, fully retired, and living in Edmonton now, less than a mile from his parents' graves. He describes his life in hockey terms: the first period ran to thirty-two, the second lasted twenty-nine years, and the third has only just begun.
His story is about knowing when you're done — and what it costs to act on it. One of the most candid profiles we've published.
Link in the comments.
David Blatt built Oklahoma’s most respected policy institute, then left the state — and the country — at the height of his influence. A story about knowing when you are done.
