Frederick P. Rose '44E, a former Fellow of the Yale Corporation who was one of Yale's most dedicated volunteers and generous benefactors, died on September 15 at his home in Rye, New York.
As Chairman of Rose Associates, Inc., Mr. Rose headed one of New York City's oldest and largest construction, real estate management and development firms where, for over 50 years, he worked to build scores of projects in New York City and beyond. He was also a builder in another sense as well, working to develop major cultural and educational institutions in New York in addition to accomplishing an extraordinary record of service to Yale.
Mr. Rose was a guiding force behind the creation of the Association of Yale Alumni (AYA) and was the first chair of its Board of Governors from 1972 to 1974. He was a member of the University Council from 1976 to 1981, and served on the Yale Corporation as a Fellow from 1989 to 1994. He chaired the Corporation's Buildings and Grounds Committee and was a leading voice advocating the extensive program of campus renovations that has been underway in this decade.
In speaking at Mr. Rose's funeral last week, President Levin elaborated on Mr. Rose's service to Yale and on Mr. and Mrs. Rose's extraordinary philanthropy:
"At Yale, Fred's involvement reflected his passion for an astonishing range of human experience. To be sure, he bought a building for us and renovated it, twice, to serve as headquarters for the Association of Yale Alumni. And together with his brothers, Dan and Elly, he gave us one of our most attractive landmarks, the beautiful Rose Walk in front of the Sterling Library, an oasis in our urban landscape.
"Fred's other gifts to Yale were each significant individually, but to regard them as a whole, in their full diversity, is to celebrate Fred's curiosity and to marvel at the catholicity of his taste. Here are just some of the 75 different programs and purposes Fred supported: professorships in science and engineering and Jewish history; scholarships for students in Yale College, the Graduate School, architecture, public health, and law; medical research, the Humanities in Medicine program, scientific publications, the Glee Club, the Music School, the Band, the Symphony Orchestra, the Art Gallery, the Library, the Golf Club, the Football Association and alumni seminars. ...
"Just as Fred's broad smile lit up every crowded room he ever entered, his energy infused every activity at Yale -- as donor, alumni leader and trustee. His attention to detail was astonishing and small matters engaged him as much as large. He fretted about just where to place the magnificent Maya Lin sculpture on Rose Walk, but he fretted just as much about which bathroom fixtures to select for Calhoun College. He was thrilled to receive an Honorary Degree, but equally thrilled to become an honorary Whiffenpoof. ..."
James H. Bates '52, the first executive director of the AYA, remarked about Mr. Rose's service as the first chair of the AYA board. "It was a really exciting time in those early years of getting the AYA going. He and I both decided 'Let's not take "no" for an answer.' He wanted to try new things, do new things. He was always saying, 'Why can't we do this?' or 'Let's try that,' and I think the AYA got off to a faster start because of his imagination. Fall reunions and the whole AYA Assembly program can be credited to him and his wonderful ideas."
Mr. Rose received the Yale Medal for outstanding service to the University in 1976 and the Medal of Honor from the Yale Science and Engineering Society in 1991. Yale awarded him an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree during the 1998 Commencement ceremonies. His citation began, "Builder and philanthropist, you have left your mark indelibly on your university and your city."
Mr. Rose's contributions to the City of New York were extraordinary by any measure. He was Vice Chairman of the Board of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and served as a trustee at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the American Museum of Natural History, Rockefeller University, the New York Public Library, and the New York Philharmonic, as well as many other organizations. He and his wife, Sandy, funded the renovation of the Main Reading Room of the New York Public Library and the creation of the Samuel B. and Daniel Rose Building at Lincoln Center. The Frederick Phineas Rose and Sandra Priest Rose Center for Earth and Space at the American Museum of Natural History, which will house the reconstructed Hayden Planetarium and will be the most technologically sophisticated facility of its type in the world, is nearing completion. In each effort, Mr. Rose was a veritable project leader as much as benefactor. As Ellen Futter, President of the American Museum of Natural History, commented on Mr. Rose's involvement as a master builder:
"He truly loved to watch as these great creations became real and, reflective of his range of interests, he gloried not only in the larger vision of what was being wrought, but also in the fine details."
She continued:
"The common thread in all of this building was Fred's ebullience. He derived immense joy from all of these activities, and relished sharing that joy with each of us. He was truly a galvanizing force, a man of restless curiosity, wide ranging and eclectic interests, who unabashedly threw himself into each of his passions.
He didn't just dabble at chess, he took lessons from a national champion. He was renowned for his origami -- wonderful, whimsical creations, often hand-delivered in the midst of a very serious board meeting, occasionally disguising a well-timed note or reminder, or just easing the tension of an intense deliberation. He loved to travel, and to read; his library was rightly a point of pride, a proper reflection of a well-rounded education at his beloved Yale."
As a Yale undergraduate, Mr. Rose majored in civil engineering and played on several of Jonathan Edwards College's intramural athletic teams. He was also a member of the Yale Glee Club and went on to cultivate a lifelong interest in music. After graduating with a B.C.E., Mr. Rose served for three years during World War II as a Lieutenant in the Navy, assigned to the Seabees in the Pacific Theatre.
In 1946, Mr. Rose joined Rose Associates, the real estate firm that his father and his uncle had started 20 years earlier. Although based primarily in New York City, Rose Associates has substantial holdings in cities from Boston to Miami. Under Mr. Rose's leadership, the company built scores of major projects in New York City. Mr. Rose was particularly proud of building two towers that won awards for design: the Bankers Trust Building at 280 Park Avenue near 48th St. and a 40-story apartment house at 45 East 89th St.
As a former Fellow of the Yale Corporation who served with Mr. Rose, Judge José Cabranes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, explained, "Fred Rose fit none of the stereotypes or cartoon images of 'real estate developer.' He was a highly successful builder but he was also an intellectual who cultivated a dazzling range of serious interests. His philanthropy was distinguished by its high intelligence and careful personal supervision of details of implementation. As a trustee, at Yale and elsewhere, he demanded always (and appropriately) adherence to the highest standards."
Mr. Rose was a part of an extended Yale family. Both his brothers, Daniel and Elihu Rose, graduated from Yale in 1951 and 1954, respectively, and have been dedicated alumni themselves. All four of Mr. and Mrs. Rose's children attended Yale -- a daughter, Deborah Rose '72, '74 M.A., '89 Ph.D.; and three sons, Jonathan F. P. Rose '74, Samuel P. Rose '77 and Adam R. Rose '81.
As Charles Pagnam, Vice President of Development, summarized well, "Fred Rose's name at Yale was synonymous with energy, commitment and generosity. His abiding affection for the University was reflected in his activism as a volunteer and his readiness always to support Yale's mission."
T H I S
W E E K ' SS T O R I E S
Visit from Treasury Secretary launches new International Center for Finance
Ethics of stem cell research to be explored
Little-used Yale Library books get state-of-the-art care at off-campus shelving facility
Symposium and exhibit mark 'Celebration of Very Young Children and Books at Yale'
Gus Ranis forging unions, exploring borders at YCIAS
Forestry school dean will open lecture series on bioethics
Symposium explores themes in 'The Brothers Karamazov'
Former V.P. of European Commission named visiting scholar at Yale SOM
Philanthropist and builder Frederick P. Rose '44E dies
Astronomers say universe expanding faster than once thought
Scientists unravel 'yin' and 'yang' of how salmonella uses proteins to spark disease
Chemist to study potential benefits of sea sponge molecule with $150,000 grant
First winners of Frederick Douglass Book Prize named
Fall lecture series commemorates Brazilian writer Jorge Luis Borges
Scholars will share views on modernist art and photographyn
Paul Kennedy to open book discussion series
Professor to demonstrate his new OCTI game
Employee Day at the Yale Bowl
. . . In the News . . .
Bulletin Home|Visiting on Campus|
Calendar of Events|Bulletin Board
Classified Ads|Search Archives|Production Schedule|Bulletin Staff
Public Affairs Home|News Releases|
E-Mail Us|Yale Home Page
