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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E501]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF MR. HENRY BLOCH
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HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER
of missouri
in the house of representatives
Monday, April 29, 2019
Mr. CLEAVER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the memory of Mr.
Henry Bloch, the philanthropist, businessman, and beloved man who has
helped shape Kansas City into the city that it has become. In life, Mr.
Bloch carried a visionary spirit that transformed and encouraged the
lives of everyone he met, including myself. Mr. Bloch's life and work
are cherished and celebrated both in our Fifth Congressional District
of Missouri and throughout the country.
Mr. Bloch was born ninety-six years ago, in 1922, to an ambitious and
hardworking mother and father in Kansas City, Missouri. From a young
age, his family instilled within him a passion not only to excel
individually, but for the good of all. Creating his own business model
years later, Mr. Bloch always stayed true to this idea, doing his part
to encourage startup businesses and individuals around the country to
flourish. Growing up in a Jewish family that experienced firsthand the
negative effects of discrimination, Mr. Bloch cultivated a spirit of
kinship with others who had faced similar struggles. His dedication to
Kansas City was evident in his own words when he thanked the city for
all it had meant to him and his family. This week, the city joins
together to celebrate their memories of Mr. Bloch and the resounding
impact he made upon their lives. Testimonies of the ways in which Mr.
Bloch impacted and touched the lives of so many have poured forth in
recent days as Kansas Citians speak of how blessed they were to have
met and known this remarkable man.
Mr. Henry Bloch possessed an incredible spirit of determination and
conviction. As a young man in the Army Air Corp during World War II,
Mr. Bloch flew many missions on behalf of his country. After returning
from the war, he opened a small business with his older brother, often
working without pay so they could have enough money to pay the
business's rent. Today, Mr. Bloch's business encompasses 12,000 offices
around the country and employs around 70,000 employees nationwide. Mr.
Bloch would often speak of luck and the fortunate opportunities he and
his brother were given, forgetting to account for the long hours and
sleepless nights that he put in without complaint during the early days
of their business. Once H&R Block grew larger and more influential,
this enabled Mr. Bloch to begin the true passion of his life--
philanthropy.
A quiet and soft-spoken man, Mr. Bloch nonetheless commanded each
room he walked into. The spirit of generosity that Mr. Bloch
personified can be seen through his incredible legacies across the city
and in the lives of so many who bear testament to it. Today, the Henry
W. Bloch School of Management at the University of Missouri-Kansas City
and the beautiful Bloch buildings of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
both stand as some of the notable contributions Mr. Bloch made to
Kansas City. Through these institutions, among other gifts, Mr. Bloch's
mark on Kansas City will continue to positively impact lives for years
to come. The Bloch family fittingly continues the spirit of his
generosity as they ask that all condolence contributions go to the
institutions and programs that meant so much to him and to our
community.
Madam Speaker, please join me, Missouri's Fifth Congressional
District, and citizens across the nation in honoring Mr. Henry Bloch's
life and his commitment to the betterment of his city. It is with love
and respect that I share my deepest condolences and sincere gratitude
for all that Mr. Bloch meant to me and the district that I serve. May
he rest in heavenly peace.
____________________