Clara Ferrin-Bloom
From left to right: Group photo with Clara and David W. Bloom (third and fourth from left), interior of Myers and Bloom store, 1911, Leona G. and David A. Bloom, 1991
Clara Ferrin-Bloom was a Tucson native born to immigrant parents from Frankfurt, Germany: Joseph and Therese Marx Ferrin. A lifelong Tucsonan, she strengthened the city’s community through decades of public service.
Clara was born on July 26, 1881, in the family home, which was located at the corner of Meyer Avenue and Cushing Street in Barrio Viejo. Clara bore witness to the continuous development of the city of Tucson throughout her life, including during her early childhood, as she and her siblings received their early education at Congress Street School. The school, which opened in 1875, was the first in Tucson’s history to be publicly funded, and it offered instruction in Spanish and English to both boys and girls. On December 24th, 1900, the property was sold, and the building at the corner of Sixth Avenue and Congress Street would eventually serve as the location of David Bloom & Sons Clothing Store, which Clara’s future husband owned from 1931-68.
Clara enrolled at the University of Arizona in 1893 at the age of twelve and graduated in 1901, in a class of only three students. Upon finishing her studies, Clara taught at Safford Elementary School. After an eleven-year tenure, she left her position as a teacher and married her husband David W. Bloom on June 9, 1912. David and Clara went on to have two daughters and three sons, including David A. Bloom, who, with the help of his wife Leona, ultimately established the Bloom Family Southwest Jewish Archives at the University of Arizona.
Clara’s family life did not keep her from serving Tucson’s community as a whole. Even after her marriage, she found herself drawn back into public education, first as a substitute teacher and then returning full-time. In 1952, she helped establish the Tucson Women’s Symphony Association (TWSA) as a founding member of the Board of Directors. During this period, funding for music education was significantly reduced, prompting the TWSA to fundraise for the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. She was also a member of the Tucson Festival Society, an organization dedicated to the preservation of the Southwest’s cultural heritage.
Clara Ferrin-Bloom died on April 17, 1973, just weeks after a public elementary school was named in her honor. At the time of her passing, she was also recognized as the eldest member of Temple Emanu-El.
Tucson Unified School District
Tucson Youth Music Center
Bloom Southwest Jewish Arhives
Cholent and Chorizo, by Abraham Chanin
Jewish Settlers in the Arizona Territory, by Blaine Lamb
Photo credits: Bloom Southwest Jewish Archives