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Bob and Nancy Kuhn family and business history albums, 1895-1984.
Amount:
4 cubic ft. (14 volumes)
Medium Included:
Organization/Arrangement:
By topic, then chronological.
Restrictions:
Terms Governing Use:
Biographical/Historical:
Robert "Bob" Kuhn (1919-2004) was a Jacksonville businessman and World War II Navy veteran who, with his wife Nancy, owned Kuhn's Flowers, at one time recognized as the fifth largest florist shop in the world.
Bob Kuhn was born in Jacksonville, Florida. The son of Lloyd Kuhn and Rose Halsema Kuhn, he spent his early years living in Jacksonville and Daytona Beach, Florida; Charleston, South Carolina; and West Asheville, North Carolina. The family returned to Jacksonville permanently after the death of Kuhn's father in a 1933 automobile accident, and Kuhn spent his 1934 summer vacation working in the Thomas Florist greenhouses. He resumed working there after graduating high school in 1935, and that fall he began working in the downtown Thomas Flower Shop.
In September 1941, Kuhn's Uncle Henry Halsema bought control of Mills the Florist in Jacksonville and appointed 22-year-old Bob Kuhn as shop manager. Following Japan's December 7, 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, Kuhn enlisted in the Navy. He served until the end of World War II, after which Kuhn returned to Jacksonville and worked at Grace Distinctive Flowers. On April 11, 1947, he opened his own shop, Kuhn's Flowers, on West Duval Street.
Kuhn married Nancy Hermanson of Daytona Beach on October 4, 1953. Nancy Kuhn was an experienced floral designer who quickly became Bob Kuhn's indispensable partner in business as well as in life. The Kuhns opened several branch stores around Jacksonville and moved their flagship store to Beach Boulevard in 1957. They consolidated the business into the main Beach Boulevard store in 1977. In 1984 the Kuhns sold the business and retired. Kuhn's Flowers remains a thriving business and a Jacksonville landmark, well-known for its elaborate Christmas window displays as well as its business reputation.
Bob Kuhn was active as a member of and leader in floral industry professional organizations including the Allied Florists of Jacksonville, the Florida State Florists Association, and the Southeastern Florists Association. He was also a member of the Rotary Club of Jacksonville, the American Legion, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Summary:
This collection consists of albums that Bob Kuhn compiled after his retirement to memorialize his life, business career, and partnership with his wife Nancy. The volumes include biographical narratives in which Kuhn describes his early family life, entry into the florist business, military career, marriage and partnership with Nancy, business career and philosophy, activities with professional associations, and events leading to the sale of the business and their retirement. Accompanying the narratives are photographs of Bob and Nancy's parents and grandparents, siblings, and other family members as well as exterior and interior shots of his places of employment in Jacksonville, and of Kuhn's Flowers' various establishments from the start of the business to its sale in 1984. The volumes also include business cards and advertisements, industry newsletter articles, news clippings, financial and employee information, and other related materials illustrating the Kuhns' life and the establishment, growth, and activities of Kuhn's Flowers.
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