SUSAN BLOCH ENGLISH was born February 26, 1904 in Seldovia, Alaska to Adam Bloch and Elizabeth BALASHOFF Bloch. When her mother died, Susan, at sixteen, was left in Seldovia with three other younger siblings to care for. They were taken in at some point by some relatives in Cordova that were from the Adam Bloch’s first marriage - the Johansson and the Simmons families. Susan finished high school in Cordova, and worked in restaurants and grocery stores to keep the family together. In 1921 she received a letter from Juanita Anderson, who was a teacher in Seldovia at the time, telling of a postmaster’s job opening in Seldovia. She brought the family back to Seldovia about 1923 and in 1925 got the official position of postmaster, which she kept for 50 years until 1975 when she was forced to retire.
By Jan O’Meara Daily News correspondent
Homer – Seldovia pioneer Susan B. English died Friday (October 10, 1986)at South Peninsula Hospital in Homer. She was 82. Mrs. English, born, bred and wed in Seldovia, spent most of her life contributing her time, energy and talents to the community. She was a postmaster for 49 years, served on a school board for 40 years and checked books out to generations of Seldovia residents for nearly 50 years. In 1970 the Kenai Peninsula Board of Education renamed the Seldovia school in her honor. “She will be greatly missed.” Said long-time friend Elaine Giles. She is survived by her husband of 60 years, Jack English, a son, Art “Oscar” English of Anchorage, a brother, Adam Bloch of Billings, Mont., a sister Rika Risofff of Kenai, and five grandchildren. Mrs. English was born in Seldovia on Feb. 26, 1904, as was her mother. Her father, a Civil War veteran, was in Sitka at the time Alaska was transferred from Russian ownership. He came to Seldovia in 1898 as agent for the Alaska Commercial Company. By the time she was 16, both her parents had died, leaving her in charge of a brother and two sisters. Her dreams of becoming a school teacher ended. After a year at business school in Washington, she and her family moved to Cordova, where she worked two jobsL in a law office and for the town newspaper. It was a struggle to support the family and also be father and mother to children who saw her not as parent, but as sibling. But in 1925 she applied for and got the job of postmaster in Seldovia. It was to be hers for nearly 50 years. That same year she met Jack English. In their years together the couple owned and operated a store, raised a family, and were involved in community service. In 1927, Mrs. English went to work as a clerk for the Seldovia School Board and continued to serve with them for more than 40 years. In 1936, she was instrumental in founding the Seldovia Library and for the next 50 years it remained an abiding passion with her. She collected books, did all the cataloging, wrote the grant applications which brought the money for a new library building, and was at the library nearly every day it was open – until about a year ao, when ill health forced her retirement, library board member Alberta Willard recalled. For many new arrivals over the years, Susan English “was the first smiling face you saw,” Willard recalled. Generations of children grew up knowing that if they were late wih their library books, it was OK, Mrs. English would forgive them their fines. In a 1982 interview she said, “I think a community is an extension of your family.” Memorial services will be held in Seldovia this week.
Susan English is as much a part of Seldovia as the rocky tidal cove that protrudes through the Kachemak Bay fishing community. The school is named for her, the library was founded by her, and four generations of Seldovians have been related to her.
She was born there in 1904 and has lived there most of her life. But her sense of belonging comes from involvement, not endurance. She was postmaster for 49 years, active with the school board and local health boards for some 40 years, and a volunteer in nearly every community project for five decades. She has an old-fashioned sense of community commitment tht seems almost an anachronism today, but which has served Seldovia for Susan English’s entire life.
It seems like everything Seldovia was involved with had my name there someplace. The tiing that I believe in the most was the library, the Seldovia Public Library. It has been the center of my love. We organized the library in 1936. A lot of our projects, Seldovia had to do on its own. We didn’t have the government grants then that we do today. I think volunteerism was important in the development of our library. All through the years, o one was ever paid for their services at the library or any other community project. Even today, I still volunteer at the library. People tell me that I am too old and library work is too demanding. But I just enjoy it so much. I love the books, I love to get over there and do my own thing. It is a place for everyone. You are never too old or too young for the library. The library and the room you go into, the room full of books, is the most wonderful world you can enter, no matter what you may be interested in. We have just ordinary fiction and all the classics that tell how it used to be way back when. We have books today that you don’t have to go through pages and pages of description; you can look at them and see them visually.
All of the classics. I love biographies telling about people’s lives and all the things people did. Just think of all the old books by all those wonderful writers. Authors that point you in the right direction and have pleasant thoughts and dreams, happy thoughts about life. I don’t like these horror stories today; they are painful. Before we had TV Seldovia was very interested in the library. People take too many things for granted; I think the community should take a lot of interest in their library, more than they do.
Yes. I think about all those grants the city gets now and how everyone wants to be paid for their service to the community. I suppose they can’t be blames; it is just different. In the early days we didn’t have any of these grants and everyone had to learn to work together; the whole community worked together. You learned to know each other. If you were working together you became acquainted, you became a part of the community. I feel sometimes like I am old fashioned and inadequate trying to express myself and the way I feel. I guess there are certain values that are basic human values; these will never change.
Yes. I was born here in 1907 and my mother was also born here. My father and mother both taught us about giving to the community. It was expected. My father was the commercial agent for Alaska Commercial Company. He did everything around the community; he was father, mother and doctor to many. He helped deliver babies and all that. I remember my mother acting as a nurse a lot. My sister and I would go through the village with her just like mini-public health nurses. We always had to consider our fellow man and we had to do our own part in the world because it was not here for our own selfish needs and such.
He came to Alaska as a Civil War veteran. He was in Sitka at the time of the transfer from Russia. He came to Seldovia with Alaska Commercial Company in the late 1800s. After the AC Company he went into his own mercantile store business and was postmaster. Mother she was younger than he by a lot; they married (his second) when she was only 16. She was a wonderful wife and mother. So you see, with my family being involved with health, with the store, with the mail, they were active alright. Dad was also involved with the schools. That had something to do with my desire to be a teacher. I never made it though.
My dad died when I was 11 and my mom died when I was 16. I had a brother and two sisters, so I more or less had to help keep the family together. I wasn’t able to go on to be a teacher. I did manage to get in a year at a business school in Washington. When I came back, my sister and I and the children, we rented a place in Cordova. I went to work part time for rank Foster, an attorney, and also worked for Kelly Robinson, who was editor of the Cordova Times. That was in 1923. I had my brother and younger sister then and we were finding it a little bit difficult trying to keep on an even keel. I was trying to be a mother and father to youngsters who didn’t like me disciplining them. Then a letter came from Seldovia saying the postmaster’s job was opening and why didn’t I apply, after all, my father had served as postmaster for years. I thought it over and talked it over with my siblings. My sister said, “Yes, Susan, I think it will be much easier on all of us. I think you would make a good postmaster.” I said I didn’t know, but the circumstances were such that I thought it would be the best thing for the family. If we were going to be together and stay together – there were people urging me to put the kids in an orphanage – then I had to do the practical thing. Ever since mother died all of the responsibilities of motherhood were on me. There were limited funds from Dad’s estate, that helped with education. Anyways, being practical and conservative I chose to return to Seldovia in 1925. I received an appointment in June of 1925. That is when I met and married Jack; we were married in 1926.
He came to Seldovia in 1923 to work for Snug Harbor Packing Company. He stayed and trapped in the winter. I was working in a restaurant waiting for my appointment as postmaster to come through. The only services they had in those days were the Admiral Lines, and they had Alaska Steamship Lines. But this one morning the boat brought in lots of passengers. The man I was working with didn’t show up to help me, so there I was all by myself, opening up the restaurant and trying to do everything. I was really pressed for time; in those days we had pole stoves to do our cooking on. Anyway, there was this nice young fella waiting her at this counter. I think I had 20 other people; he was asking me if I was alone her at the counter. It was about 7:30 a.m. I finally reached him and he ordered his ham and eggs over-easy. I still remember. I took care of him and he stayed and that’s how we became acquainted. We were married a year later.
I had wonderful friends. I had this strong feeling the family should stay together. I believe that I am an unselfish person; I never put myself first. I was really full of ideals. I haven’t lost sight of the and I believe in my thinking, the positive thinking I use. My faith and knowing that there is a force of God, or whatever you want to name it, to hold on to. I believe that a woman can be a mother and still be her own person. I think people worry too much about all that today. You must do your own thing first, you must be true to yourself. We all have a responsibility in this old world. The main thing in life is to be caring and to care for people no matter if the people around you respond. That is why I send birthday cards every year. My mom and dad taught it to me, it makes people feel good. You do it for others, because you care about people. I literally send hundreds of cards a year.
Jack, when he was around, was very supportive. We always contributed together to the community. At first, when Jack and I were married, he wanted me to give up the postmaster job. You know how men were in those days. But we put the post office in our home. I’m a night person and Jack was always helping me with the children. When I went to a meeting, I was always doing something; he would help.
I guess it is that I feel that I am part of Seldovia. You know, my roots are here; my mother was born here, I was born here, my children and grandchildren, with the exception of one, were born here. That is four generations of us in Seldovia. It gives you a feeling of being a part of something, of being close. You know, living in a small community forces you to grow. I was the postmaster for 49 years. In dealing with the public, you know, they can be irritating and demanding. But people are God’s children. Who am I to demand approval or judge others: No matter who you meet or who you are, if you sit down and visit with them, and get to know them, you find out that they really have so much to give. If you didn’t make an effort, you may never know that person for their true self. I have always been in contact with people this way, behind the scenes, so to speak. After all, without the action of reaching out, what good are words?
Yes. I think the community is an extension of your family. If you want to be involved in making a place better for your family, get involved. It makes me very happy when someone visits our community and expresses joy at what they find here. You want to be proud of your home and happy in your home; you want it to be the best place for your family. You have in your home an extension of the community. And you have in the community, an extension of your home. It is like an eternal extension; the basis of your participation and your home in the community is the foundation for our borough, for our state, for our whole country. Everything has to start in your home. If we are going to have the right kind of community, you have to take part. You don’t have to go into regular politics to do so. All sorts of things bring good into the community, like your schools, your church, and of course, your library. It is the only way you become acquainted and feel a part of the place. With involvement, you learn to love the people in the community and love the community as a whole.