- Richard Bloch
Richard A. Bloch (birth date|1926|2|15—birth date|2004|7|21) was an
entrepreneur , andphilanthropist best known for starting theH&R Block tax preparation and personal finance company with his older brother Henry in 1955. His personal battle withcancer led him to invest in helping others fight and overcome the disease.Early life
In the 4th grade, Bloch found a hand press in his uncle's attic and began his first business as a printer. By the time he was 12, he had three automatic presses and was providing printing services to several Kansas City high schools. He sold his business to an
Iowa college to use as a print course teaching model.When he was 16, he entered the Wharton School of Finance (now
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania ). In college Bloch was a member ofZeta Beta Tau , the campus'Jew ish fraternity. The youngest member of his class, he received aBachelor of Science degree ineconomics in 1945. He helped pay his college expenses by purchasing used cars, repairing them and selling them for a profit.Founding H. & R. Block
Bloch returned to Kansas City after graduating, married his wife, Annette, and began working in the
municipal bond business. Around the same time, his brothers Henry and Leon launched the United Business Co. bookkeeping business. His brother's asked him to come aboard as an accountant.Bloch left the business for about a year in 1953 to become a retail jewelry efficiency expert. While stranded on a San Francisco business trip, he realized his family in Kansas City was a top priority and returned. Soon after, Leon left the bookkeeping business to pursue a career as an attorney.
In 1955, Henry and Richard Bloch renamed the business H&R Block, changing the spelling to avoid mispronunciation, and focused on tax preparation services. While Henry managed the company in Kansas City, Richard concentrated on nationwide expansion. By 1969, he shifted his efforts overseas while Henry took charge of the company's domestic business.
Cancer
Lung cancer
Bloch was diagnosed with terminal
lung cancer in 1978, and told he had three months to live. He refused to accept the prognosis, and sought treatment at the M.D. Anderson Center inHouston, Texas . After two years of aggressive therapy, he was inremission . By 1980, he was focusing his energies on funding cancer research, and in 1982 he sold his interest in H&R Block.Post cancer
Richard and Annette Bloch founded the Cancer Hotline in 1980 to educate newly diagnosed cancer patients, and their friends and families about available treatment resources. Later, they founded the R. A. Bloch Cancer Management Center and the R. A. Bloch Cancer Support Center at the
University of Missouri–Kansas City .Ronald Reagan appointed him to a six-year term with the National Cancer Advisory Board in 1982. He was a member of the President's Circle of the National Academy of Sciences, theInstitute of Medicine , and theNational Institutes of Health Office of Alternative Medicine. He also received the 1994American Society of Clinical Oncology 's Public Service Award and the 1995 Layman's Award from the Society of Surgical Oncology.Cancer returns
In the late 1980's, Bloch fought and beat
colon cancer .Death
Bloch died of
heart failure on July 21, 2004 at the age of 78. He is survived by his wife, Annette, daughters Linda, Barbara and Nancy and ten grandchildren.Quote
There is no such thing as false hope for a cancer patient. Hope is as unique with each individual as a
fingerprint . For some it is the hope to make a complete recovery. But it might also be the hope to die peacefully; the hope to live until a specific event happens; the hope to live with disease; the hope to have their doctor with them when needed; the hope to enjoy today.References
* [http://www.hrblock.com/presscenter/about/rbloch.jsp H & R Block biography]
External links
* [http://blochcancer.org Bloch Cancer Foundation]
Books co-written with his wife
* "Cancer… There's Hope" (1981) ISBN 039912814X
* "Guide for Cancer Supporters: Step-by-step Ways to Help a Relative or Friend Fight Cancer" (1992) ISBN 990151925X
* "Fighting Cancer A Step-by-Step Guide to Helping Yourself Fight Cancer" (1998) ISBN 1199121657
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.