Emma Elizabeth Rose

1923 - 2018

Emma Elizabeth Rose passed away on Monday, August 27th at the home of her niece, Denise Owens, in Pittsburgh, PA. Born on September 25th, 1923 to Thomas Rose and Estelle (Turner) Rose, Emma grew up in the East Liberty section of Pittsburgh and was a high honors graduate of Westinghouse High School. She received a Bachelor's Degree from The College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh and a Master's Degree from the Carnegie Institute of Technology's Library School. She began her career in Hartford, CT as a librarian at the Hopkins branch of the Hartford Public Library and later accepted a position as the librarian of the SAND Elementary School in Hartford where she remained for 36 years. She devoted herself to the success of the school. She chaired the fundraising committee of the PTO, sponsored the Computer Club and the Cooking and Sewing Club, and mentored and taught many individual students both inside and outside the classroom. When she retired in 1993, the Hartford Board of Education honored her by naming the library the Emma E. Rose Media Center. Emma had many other interests and passions. She was a Sunday School teacher at Rodman Baptist Church in Pittsburgh. In Hartford, she joined Central Baptist Church, a church with a largely white, suburban congregation and again became a Sunday School teacher there. By 1972, she was elected the church's first black and first woman Moderator, the lay leader of the church. Emma was a 70 year member of Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) sorority and deeply involved in their work. She was a significant supporter of arts organizations such as the Wadsworth Athenaeum and The Metropolitan Opera. She also financially supported The University of Pittsburgh and, most notably, the University of Connecticut's Women's College Basketball team, becoming a friend of Lew Perkins, the school's athletic director, in the process. She often took students from the SAND School to games at Storrs and Hartford, was a season ticket holder and was thrilled to see both the Men's and Women's teams win many NCAA Championships. She was an early supporter of Barack Obama and took great pride in his 2008 election. She owned her own home in Hartford for over 50 years and could be seen proudly tending to its many gardens. She loved walking throughout her neighborhood. She is survived by her niece, Denise Owens and Denise's daughter, Nicky. She was preceded in death by her sisters Mary Glover and Bertha Rose and her brothers George, Thomas, Harry and James Rose. There will be a Memorial Service this Saturday, September 15th, 2018 at Central Baptist Church, 457 Main Street in Hartford beginning with an AKA ritual, Ivy Beyond the Wall, at 11:30 am. The service will be followed by a reception at the church. Donations in honor of Emma's life may be made to her church.