Kirkwood Community College
Abraham Blank’s family immigrated from Romania in the 1800s and ended up in Iowa, where eventually Mr. Blank owned and operated Central States Theater Corp. The corporation was a family-run business for over 70 years, with Myron Blank the second generation to run the business. The Blanks have had a presence in Iowa for over a century and have had an impact on lifelong learning for nearly that long.
For over a century, the Blank family has been one of Iowa’s most prominent supporters of lifelong learning and the benefits it offers communities. Starting with Abraham in the 1800s, family members have not only been lifelong learners themselves, but also offered many opportunities for lifelong learning and have made it possible for others to offer learning opportunities to people of all ages. |
In 1944, Abraham established the Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines, after traveling to Washington DC to convince President Roosevelt that the materials to build were needed, although most building supplies were going to the war effort. Throughout his life, Mr. Blank visited the hospital and hosted a yearly party for staff and patients. Of course, the hospital is still operating and still employs the latest in technology and patient care and still serves as a teacher for the state with a pediatric residency program and other opportunities for training health care professionals and for outreach in the state.
Another contribution Blank Family contribution to lifelong learning in Iowa is the Blank Park Zoo and Discovery Center, begun under Abraham in 1963 and supported by the next generation. Other lifelong learning opportunities and venues the Blank Family helped establish are the children's wing at the new Des Moines library, the Steven N. Blank Youth Center of Youth Emergency and Shelter Services, the Blank Performing Arts Center at Simpson College, and the Belin-Blank International Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development at the University of Iowa. And the list goes on.