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John Gruber

John Gruber

John Gruber was born and raised in Seldovia, Alaska. His family history in the community goes back to the late 1800's, with his great-grandparents on his mother's side, Adam Bloch and Eliza Balashoff. His grandmother, Susan B. English, was born in Seldovia in 1904, and his mother, Cecelia "Midge" English, was born there in 1929. His father, Bob Gruber, came to Seldovia in the 1950's as a pilot with Inlet Airways, based out of Homer, Alaska, and met and married Midge. In 1960, Bob Gruber took over the business and renamed it Cook Inlet Airways, and ran it until 1986. John ran a sporting goods store in Seldovia, taking over for his father, which closed in 1990, and in recent years, he has worked in the oil fields of northern Alaska. Seldovia is still his home.
Date of Birth:
Nov 9, 1954
John Gruber appears in the following new Jukebox projects:
Interview Title Abstract Archive #: Oral History Project Date of Interview
John Gruber, Part 1

John Gruber was interviewed on September 3, 2015 by Jan Yaeger at the Seldovia Museum in Seldovia, Alaska. In this first part of a two part interview, John talks about his family history in Seldovia. He talks about family members coming to Seldovia, his father's work as a pilot, his mother, Cecelia "Midge" Gruber, and his grandmother Susan English who was postmaster starting around 1925. He also talks about what the community was like when he was growing up and other people who lived there.

 2014-17-13_PT.1 Seldovia Sep 3, 2015
John Gruber, Part 2

This is a continuation of the interview with John Gruber on September 3, 2015 by Jan Yaeger at the Seldovia Museum in Seldovia, Alaska. In this second part of a two part interview, John talks about his grandparents, Jack and Susan English, their love for the community of Seldovia, and their role in the community changes and Urban Renewal after the 1964 Earthquake. He also talks about what Seldovia was like when he was a child, how it changed after the earthquake, and the history of some of the old buildings still standing around town.

 2014-17-13_PT.2 Seldovia Sep 3, 2015