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Morris W. Rosenberg
Morris W. Rosenberg
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Morris Rosenberg Obituary
Rosenberg graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in journalism in 1940 and was elected to the NC Journalism Hall of Fame in 1989.
During World War II, he served with the U.S. Office of War Information in New York and with the Allied Forces Psychological Warfare Branch in Algeria, Italy, Albania, and Yugoslavia.
In 1950, in Caracas, Venezuela, he reorganized an English language publication into a daily newspaper and became its first editor-in-chief. He also served as AP correspondent in Venezuela.
In 1958, he moved to New York City to become the first director of East-West Exchanges at the Institute of International Education. He later joined the AP in New York as World Services news editor.
In 1961, Rosenberg was assigned to Mexico City as AP Chief of Bureau for Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean area.
In 1966, the AP named him Chief of Bureau in Paris, France, including coverage of Francophone Africa.
He returned to Mexico in 1977 as Director General for AP operations in Latin America.Rosenberg became Chief of World Services operations in the Washington, DC, bureau of AP in 1979.
After retiring from the AP in 1988, he served as a media consultant for news agencies and journalistic groups in all of the newly liberated countries of Eastern Europe, following the breakup of the Soviet Union. He also helped direct the training of journalists in Central America.
In 2004, he retired to Chapel Hill, where he conducted seminars on foreign correspondence at the UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication.
He was a member of the Cosmos Club in Washington, DC, and a former member of the Overseas Press Club and National Press Club. The French government named him Chevalier of the Legion of Honor.
He is survived by his wife of 61 years, two daughters, a son-in-law, two grandchildren, a brother, two sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Memorial contributions may be made to UNC Hospice P. O. Box 1077 Pittsboro, NC 27312.
Arrangements are by Cremation Society of the Carolinas.
Online condolences may be made at www.cremnc.com
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Chuck Green
November 8, 2007
I just today learned of the loss of a dear friend and mentor.
Morrie was the Mexico City AP Chief of Bureau when I arrived there on my first foreign assignment. He left for Paris not long after I arrived but it was clear he left his mark. His kindness and patience helped Sylvia adjust to the change while he helped smooth off some of my rough young edges. When he came back to Mexico from Paris in 1977 as The AP’s director general for operations in Latin America he was still just as kind and just as considerate. I was the chief of bureau by then and the situation could have been awkward if this had been anyone other than Morrie Rosenberg.
Decades later I was at Florida International University trying to manage a huge journalism training project for Latin American journalists, journalism educators and media owners. I needed help. Morris Rosenberg was one of the first I turned to and he became a valued member of the Advisory Council to the Latin American Journalism Program, an instructor in that program, a confidant and, again, a mentor. For a time he was a colleague on the journalism faculty at FIU and could not understand why I had given up golf for fishing.
I often told people that Morris Rosenberg was a gentleman in the truest sense of that word. He was indeed a gentle man of great integrity.
Sylvia and I send our condolences and love to Lucie and all the family.
Sean Maroney
October 2, 2007
I count Morris as a friend and a tremendous part of my experience at the journalism school. I will always remember his standing invitation offered to his students for coffee hours or lunches. He was much more than a teacher; he was a mentor. Morris genuinely cared about the future of journalism, starting with his students. He encouraged us all to go the extra mile with our work. He will be forever missed but never forgotten.
Terry Maguire
September 29, 2007
Morris epitomized many of the values that have always been - for me - the most important. He was kind, considerate, and soft-spoken at a time when too many shout. Morris loved the craft of writing well and practicing the very best in journalistic skill and competence, dedication that becomes harder to find each day. Always willing to give of himself, he shared his experience and expertise with those students at UNC who either wanted to be foreign correspondents or were interested in understanding that profession better. I first got to know him when he fought for the importance of a free press on a global scale, and we and others around the world are all the better informed because of his efforts.
We've lost a man who achieved so much greatness in grand humility.
I hope his family and friends will do what they/we can to keep pushing Morris' beliefs and principles in all the places where they continue to need so much support.
Mort Rosenblum
September 26, 2007
Sundays with Morrie
PARIS – Back in 1977, word went around that the Associated Press named me to head the Paris bureau to save money on stationery: Morris Rosenberg would be succeeded by Mort Rosenblum. If I got by on Morrie’s letterhead for a while, I never came close to filling his chair.
Those were the days when the AP bureau chief, monsieur le director, was by definition dean of the foreign press corps. Cabinet ministers took his phone calls, and the Elysee Palace kept close tabs on him, for better or worse. Other correspondents haunted AP’s newsroom for leads.
Morrie was perfect for the job, soft-spoken with a wry wit and an easy smile. His fluent French had a little North Carolina in it, but his subjunctives always came out right. He demanded quality work from his staff, and they liked him for it. Publishers respected him, even at rate-increase time. When his bureau wrote something hard, French officials took it with grace; it was, after all, AP.
When I took over from him, he made sure I got it right. We spent Sundays in his apartment on the Avenue Bosquet going over his hard-earned contacts, his wisdom on what makes France so French, and why what we did mattered.
I stayed in the job for only two years, and I never stopped asking myself, What would Morrie have done? In fact, I have asked that question often ever since.
Morris Rosenberg was exactly what those wise old newspaper owners had in mind when they first framed the AP, a man who could develop sources and contacts, frame reality, and stand as a symbol of a style of American journalism that, in too many ways, has gone out of fashion.
He was a grand man and a great journalist. I will miss him, as will so many others.
Mort Rosenblum
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sol kline
September 23, 2007
Morris was one of many cousins but we always knew he was the most outstanding in a family of many. While I didn't see him often, I was always filled with a sense of pride to know he was family. May his memory be blessed.
Jean Folkerts
September 22, 2007
The School of Journalism and Mass Communication will miss Morris. He brought a sense of history and a depth of understanding to many of our activities. He was kind, considerate and thoughtful.
Younghae Choi
September 20, 2007
I hoped to see Morris next semester,but I can't. His remarkable experience as a correspondent impressed me and it was a great fortune for a Korean journalist like me to observe his class. I can't believe his death.
Harold Kline
September 20, 2007
Rose and I are ddeply saddened by Morris's passing. He was a first cousin of many in a very tightly knit family where there were cousins by the dozens and each one had a play-mate mostly of the same age. Morris wasn't the oldest of the cousins, but he certainly was the one that we all looked up to, regardless of our age. He will be remembered for a long time, will be missed, but his precious memories will endure in us for the rest of our lives. Cousins, Harold and Rose Kline
Harold Kline
September 20, 2007
Rose and I are ddeply saddened by Morris's passing. He was a first cousin of min in a very tightly knit family where there were cousings by the dozens and each one had aplay-mate mostly of the same age. Morris wasn't the oldest of the cousins, but he certainly was the one that we all looked up to, regardless of our age. He will be remembered for a longf time, will be missed, but his precious memories will endure in me for the rest of my life. Cousin Harold and Rose Kline
Debra Rosenberg Bernanke
September 18, 2007
I will deeply miss my Uncle Morris' kindness, strength and wry sense of humor.
Elizabeth Ewing
September 18, 2007
I had the great pleasure of meeting Morris Rosenberg in Washington, DC when his niece, Susan, was visiting us and her family. What a gracious, intelligent, thoughtful person who will be missed greatly.
Napoleon Byars
September 17, 2007
Morris was a kind and considerate journalist, educator and friend. He was always welcoming, engaging and had a sparkable in his eyes. He is in a better place now but my heart hurts from the realization that he is gone. Good bye dear friend.
Queenie Byars
September 17, 2007
Morris was a true gentleman and dedicated professional. I will always remember the first time I met him and Lucie in Washington, D.C. He loved life and shared his love for journalism with many UNC students.
florence rosenberg
September 17, 2007
I will miss the warmth and humor of my brother-in-law.
Jo Bass
September 17, 2007
I had the pleasure of getting to know Morris and Lucie over the past few years. He was a wonderful man and we were very fortunate to have him teach in the journalism school here at UNC the past couple of years. We will miss him.
Chris Roush
September 16, 2007
Morris will be missed. He was a great man.
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