A Bouquet of Blooms—Four Generations at Westminster

The Bloom family is composed of unique individuals in their own right, but at Westminster College, they comprise a veritable bouquet of Blooms. Four generations of the family have attended the College from the 1930s to today: Maurice  ’32, Bob  ’62, Bret  ­­’87, Greg  ’91, and now Greg’s daughter, Katherine, continues the family legacy as a freshman.

Katherine, from Pullman, WA, recently made Bloom Westminster history by giving the opening “Response for the Class of 2022” speech at The Columns Ceremony on Aug. 18. The Psychology major says she enjoyed standing before the crowd of freshmen, family, and faculty members. “Something just clicked when I first visited Westminster,” she explains, “and I described that feeling and just how surreal it was, since I grew up hearing so many stories about going to school here.”

Katherine previously visited Westminster twice with Greg, who brought her up on his own Westminster stories and encouraged her to attend the College. Katherine says Greg often discussed how Westminster impacted him both educationally and personally. “It turned out to be more than a four-year college experience and instead became a lifetime home,” Katherine explains.     

Westminster and Fulton in some ways really were home to Greg and Bret. Although the two brothers grew up in Washington with their parents, Robert and Helga, they often traveled to Fulton to visit their grandfather, Maurice, after their grandmother, Zelona, passed. Visits with Maurice involved golfing at the Fulton Country Club, attending Mizzou football games, playing Gin Rummy, and eating Sunday meals at the Bloom family table. Greg describes his memories of his grandfather with warmth and humor. “Granddad accepted the fact that both Bret and I were Betas,” Greg recalls with fondness. “Both he and my dad were Delts.”

Greg adds that prior to his grandfather’s death in 1996, Maurice spent many years in service to others. At Westminster, he faithfully served on the Delta Omicron Chapter Advisory Board. He also founded the Bloom Family Scholarship in 1987 in order to give back to the College. In addition, in the hours not spent working as Postmaster for Fulton’s U.S. Postal Service, he logged more than 50 years of perfect attendance with the Fulton Kiwanis Club. “He was a very loyal man – to his school, church, and community,” Greg says.

As a student at Westminster, Greg majored in Business Administration. He has worked as a financial advisor with Edward Jones in Pullman, WA, for 24 years. Greg is married to Karin, and in addition to Katherine, 18, they have two other girls, Megan, 16, and Ella, 13.

Bret also majored in Business Administration. Today he is a special education teacher and boys’ golf coach at Shade Park High School in Spokane, WA. He is married to Colleen. They also have three daughters: Charlotte, 15, Libby, 15, and Brooke, 12.

Greg and Bret’s father died in 2007. In his lifetime, Robert majored in Biology at Westminster and served as an officer in Vietnam, where he worked at an evacuation hospital. He settled in St. Louis but later followed the advice of lifelong friend and Westminster graduate Dan Wilkins,  ’61, who encouraged him to work for Edward Jones. Robert subsequently opened one of the first Edward Jones offices in Washington in 1970, relocating the family to Pullman. He retired in 2004.

Despite a move halfway across the country, the Blooms have remained steadfast in their feelings toward Westminster. “Granddad would talk with my dad about how great it would be if one of my siblings, cousins, or I could to go Westminster to keep the Bloom legacy going,” Katherine says. “I know that if they were alive today, they would be so proud.”     

The Bloom family is composed of unique individuals in their own right, but at Westminster College, they comprise a veritable bouquet of Blooms. Four generations of the family have attended the College from the 1930s to today: Maurice  ’32, Bob  ’62, Bret  ­­’87, Greg  ’91, and now Greg’s daughter, Katherine, continues the family legacy as a freshman.

Katherine, from Pullman, WA, recently made Bloom Westminster history by giving the opening “Response for the Class of 2022” speech at The Columns Ceremony on Aug. 18. The Psychology major says she enjoyed standing before the crowd of freshmen, family, and faculty members. “Something just clicked when I first visited Westminster,” she explains, “and I described that feeling and just how surreal it was, since I grew up hearing so many stories about going to school here.”

Katherine previously visited Westminster twice with Greg, who brought her up on his own Westminster stories and encouraged her to attend the College. Katherine says Greg often discussed how Westminster impacted him both educationally and personally. “It turned out to be more than a four-year college experience and instead became a lifetime home,” Katherine explains.

Westminster and Fulton in some ways really were home to Greg and Bret. Although the two brothers grew up in Washington with their parents, Robert and Helga, they often traveled to Fulton to visit their grandfather, Maurice, after their grandmother, Zelona, passed. Visits with Maurice involved golfing at the Fulton Country Club, attending Mizzou football games, playing Gin Rummy, and eating Sunday meals at the Bloom family table. Greg describes his memories of his grandfather with warmth and humor. “Granddad accepted the fact that both Bret and I were Betas,” Greg recalls with fondness. “Both he and my dad were Delts.”

Greg adds that prior to his grandfather’s death in 1996, Maurice spent many years in service to others. At Westminster, he faithfully served on the Delta Omicron Chapter Advisory Board. He also founded the Bloom Family Scholarship in 1987 in order to give back to the College. In addition, in the hours not spent working as Postmaster for Fulton’s U.S. Postal Service, he logged more than 50 years of perfect attendance with the Fulton Kiwanis Club. “He was a very loyal man – to his school, church, and community,” Greg says.

As a student at Westminster, Greg majored in Business Administration. He has worked as a financial advisor with Edward Jones in Pullman, WA, for 24 years. Greg is married to Karin, and in addition to Katherine, 18, they have two other girls, Megan, 16, and Ella, 13.

Bret also majored in Business Administration. Today he is a special education teacher and boys’ golf coach at Shade Park High School in Spokane, WA. He is married to Colleen. They also have three daughters: Charlotte, 15, Libby, 15, and Brooke, 12.

Greg and Bret’s father died in 2007. In his lifetime, Robert majored in Biology at Westminster and served as an officer in Vietnam, where he worked at an evacuation hospital. He settled in St. Louis but later followed the advice of lifelong friend and Westminster graduate Dan Wilkins,  ’61, who encouraged him to work for Edward Jones. Robert subsequently opened one of the first Edward Jones offices in Washington in 1970, relocating the family to Pullman. He retired in 2004.

Despite a move halfway across the country, the Blooms have remained steadfast in their feelings toward Westminster. “Granddad would talk with my dad about how great it would be if one of my siblings, cousins, or I could to go Westminster to keep the Bloom legacy going,” Katherine says. “I know that if they were alive today, they would be so proud.”