Dr. Jack D. Rose

Dr. Jack D. Rose, the former mayor of Murray, died Monday of complications following surgery to remove a tumor near his brain. He was 77 years old. Rose was born in Murray in 1943 at his family's home, a converted schoolhouse. After graduating from Murray High School and Murray State University, he began his education career as a teacher at Greenville High School. Jack Rose married Janice Collins on Thanksgiving Day, 1968. Rose earned his doctorate from Indiana University in 1971, and then returned to his hometown to become a professor at Murray State. In 1976, Rose was hired as the superintendent of the Calloway County School District, a position he held for the next two decades. In 1991, the school board voted to name the high school football facility Jack D. Rose Stadium in his honor. He retired from the school system in 1997 and briefly worked as the director of schools in Maury County, Tennessee. He returned to Murray in 1998 to be the Dean of the MSU College of Education. After stepping down in 2003, he continued to serve as a Murray State professor, training new school administrators until 2014. He also served as Faculty Regent. Rose was elected mayor of Murray in 2014. His tenure in office included overseeing the purchase and renovation of the current City Hall building and funding greater resources and pay for the Murray Police Department. Rose championed the ordinance making Murray restaurants smoke-free. In 2018, he announced he would not run for reelection. Rose led numerous community groups over the years, including the Rotary Club, the Lions Club, the Murray Family YMCA and the board of Murray-Calloway County Hospital. He was a member of Kentucky's Education Professional Standards Board and president of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Even after retirement, Rose continued to serve as a consultant to the Kentucky Center for School Safety. Rose was a proud alumnus of Murray State University, earning a bachelor's degree in 1965 and a master's degree in 1967. In 2011, Rose and his wife endowed a scholarship at Murray State designated annually to a Calloway County High School graduate. The Roses also recently underwrote the construction of two sculptures on campus honoring MSU's first president, John W. Carr, and the symbol of Murray State football, Racer One. Rose was preceded in death by his parents, George and Buena Rose, and his brothers, Miller and James Rose. He is survived by his wife Janice, sons Jon (Natalya) and Andy (Dawn), sisters-in-law Sue Rose and Jackie Herndon, niece Jan Wheeler (Lyndon), great-nieces Alisha Niswonger (Chris) and Krisha Hutfilz (Florian) and four grandchildren: David, George, Danny and Kseniya. There will be a private family funeral, followed by a public memorial service at a date to be determined. Expressions of sympathy may be made in the form of contributions to the Jack & Janice Rose Honorary Scholarship at Murray State University, 200 Heritage Hall, Murray, Kentucky 42071. Online condolences can be made at, www.thejhchurchillfuneralhome.com