Henry W. Bloch

Henry Wollman Bloch (July 30, 1922 – April 23, 2019) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was the co-founder and (since 2000)[1] the chairman emeritus of the American tax-preparation company H&R Block. Henry and his brother, Richard Bloch, founded H&R Block in 1955 in Kansas City, Missouri.[2]

Henry W. Bloch
Born
Henry Wollman Bloch

(1922-07-30)July 30, 1922
Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
DiedApril 23, 2019(2019-04-23) (aged 96)
Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
EducationSouthwest High School
Alma mater • University of Michigan
 • University of Missouri–Kansas City
OccupationFounder and businessman
Known forCo-founder of H&R Block
Spouse(s)Marion Helzberg
ChildrenRobert Bloch
Thomas Bloch
Mary Jo Bloch Brown
Elizabeth Bloch Uhlmann
RelativesRichard Bloch (brother)
Leon Bloch (brother)

Early life and education

Bloch was born to a Jewish family in Kansas City on July 30, 1922, the son of Hortense (Bienenstock) and Leon Bloch.[1][3][4] He attended Southwest High School, and was an undergraduate at University of Missouri–Kansas City. He later attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, graduating in 1944. He was initiated as a brother of Zeta Beta Tau fraternity's Phi chapter at the University of Michigan in 1940.[1] Through the U.S. Army Air Corps he received graduate training at the Harvard Business School in Boston, Massachusetts.

Career

In 1945, following World War II, Bloch and his brother Leon founded United Business Company, joined later by his brother Richard in 1946 after Leon left to pursue a law degree. The company provided bookkeeping and tax preparation services in Kansas City, then expanded tax preparation services after a successful advertising campaign in the Kansas City Star and the Internal Revenue Service decision to phase out free preparation services. Bloch officially founded the H&R Block company with his brother Richard in 1955.[2]

As Henry often explained in interviews, the misspelling in their corporate name of their surname was to reflect their family's proper pronunciation, as opposed to "blahch" or "blowch". By 1962, H&R Block became a public company, and in 2019, there are more than 12,000 H&R Block offices.[5] Bloch himself became a fixture for many years in television ads, delivering slogans like "Don't face the laws alone."[6]

Personal life and honors

In 1951, Bloch married Marion Helzberg; they had four children: Robert Bloch, Thomas Bloch, Mary Jo Bloch Brown, and Elizabeth Bloch Uhlmann[7] and lived in the Kansas City metropolitan area.[1]

In 1980, Bloch received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement.[8]

The Henry Wollman Bloch Fountain[9] in front of Kansas City's Union Station is named in his honor, as is the Henry W. Bloch School of Management at the University of Missouri–Kansas City[10] and the Bloch Building, a major addition to Kansas City's Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

Bloch was inducted into the Junior Achievement's U.S. Business Hall of Fame in 2001.

I've always wanted to do something different, something more than just a job, something to contribute to society.[5]

— Henry W. Bloch

Death

Bloch died in Kansas City on April 23, 2019, in hospice care at the age of 96.[6] He was remembered by Jeff Jones, President and Chief Executive Officer of H&R Block Inc. as a model for entrepreneurs. "Through his honesty and integrity, Henry embodied the best of American business, entrepreneurship and philanthropy. His vision lives on through H&R Block associates and the many philanthropic organizations that he supported."[5]

See also

References
  1. "Bloch biography". H&R Block. Archived from the original on May 31, 2012.
  2. "Founders | H&R Block". Tax Information Center. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  3. "H&R Block". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved March 10, 2014.
  4. https://www.bnnbloomberg.ca/henry-bloch-h-r-block-s-co-founding-tv-pitchman-dies-at-96-1.1248166
  5. "Henry W. Bloch Press Release". Remembering Henry Bloch. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  6. Hershey, Jr., Robert (April 23, 2019). "Henry W. Bloch, Tax-Preparation Pioneer (and Pitchman), Is Dead at 96". The New York Times. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  7. Legacy: "Marion Helzberg Bloch" Published in Kansas City Star on Sept. 26, 2013
  8. "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement". www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement.
  9. "City of Fountains – Find a Fountain". City of Fountains Foundation. Archived from the original on August 15, 2009. Retrieved December 3, 2010.
  10. "About Us – Fast Facts". Henry W. Bloch School of Management, University of Missouri–Kansas City. Retrieved October 1, 2013.
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