His friends in high school included LeRoy Wollins who went on to be active in Veterans for Peace and earned his living importing Russian language materials.
Blauner's sociological writings and teachings on class, race, and men are rooted in his years as a factory worker.
His dissertation at Berkeley, which later became his first book Alienation and Freedom was supervised by William Kornhauser, Seymour Martin Lipset, and Philip Selznick.
His wife at the time of his death was Karina Epperlein who was a noted maker of documentary films, often portraying oppressed people such as incarcerated mothers.
His work was funded by major groups such as the National Institute of Mental Health, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Social Science Research Council.