[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 80 (Tuesday, June 3, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H4849-H4850]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO JOSEPH ROSEN

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to a 
longtime friend, mentor, fellow activist and one of the most committed 
and dedicated educators that I have ever known, Mr. Joe Rosen.
  Joe died a few days ago at the ripe age of 91, after having devoted 
much of his adult life to teaching, being a principal, a district 
superintendent and overall advocate for improving teaching techniques 
and for finding additional ways to more effectively educate racial 
minorities and disadvantaged children.
  One of Joe's unique characteristics is that he never gave up on the 
neighborhood where he grew up and sharpened his skills. Mr. Rosen was 
born and grew up on the west side of Chicago in a community that was 
predominantly Jewish. He graduated from Marshall High School and put 
himself through college, working as a taxi driver, at the post office, 
and as a laundry worker.
  His undergraduate studies were at the Chicago Teachers College and he 
earned a master's degree at DePaul University. Mr. Rosen studied to 
become a biology teacher, but could not find an opening during the 
Great Depression. Therefore, he took a job teaching physical education 
and did that for several years. He loved to tell the story of how he 
beat out the legendary Chicago Sun Times columnist Irv Kupcinet for a 
handball instructor's position because he was willing to work for less 
money.
  Joe eventually got a job teaching biology at Wells High School, and 
in 1947

[[Page H4850]]

was appointed principal of the Howland Elementary School, and this set 
the stage for the rest of his life's work, dealing with the needs of 
underprivileged children.
  Joe's daughter Arlene stated that ``All of our lives, all of our 
family, friends and relatives, if they had clothing to pass on, would 
take them to my dad and he would take them to school. He would take 
clothes for adults too. He had kids get eye exams and had an 
arrangement with those doing the testing to provide glasses for a very 
low fee.''
  Mr. Rosen established an after-hours social center at Howland for 
elementary and high school pupils to keep them off the streets. As the 
neighborhood was changing, he instituted intergroup understanding as 
part of the curriculum.
  When he became Superintendent of District 10, he established the 
Farragut Outpost, an alternative school for Farragut students who were 
not progressing well with the regular straight academic curriculum. The 
Outpost kept young people in school and attracted many dropouts back.
  Joe was indeed an innovative educator who was able to do a great deal 
with teaching approaches and techniques. He was an avid supporter of 
early childhood education and established several Head Start and 
daycare center programs in his district.
  Joe would be pleased to know that we are here tonight talking about 
the earned income tax credit program that is designed to help those at 
the very bottom. Joe promoted back-to-school activity. He promoted 
breakfast and lunch programs for children, understanding that they 
could not learn well if they were hungry.
  However, many people knew him best through his partnership with Mrs. 
Ida Mae Fletcher, Ma Fletcher, a pioneer leader and education activist. 
Through their efforts, community involvement and parental participation 
became buzz words associated with public education in the Chicago area.
  Joe was forced to retire at the age of 65 because of an age 
requirement. However, he continued to work both formally and informally 
for many years. He met his first wife, Ms. May Berg at a dance and they 
were married in 1939. After her death, he met Ms. Carol Bauer and they 
were married in 1984.
  Joe leaves to mourn his passing his sons Laurence and Robert; stepson 
Harlen Bauer and stepdaughters Betsy Bauer and Susan Bauer; Yetta 
Rothstein, his sister; brother Walter Rosen; and four grandchildren.
  Joe continued to be active and serve on various boards and committees 
right up to the end of his life. He was a member of our Seventh 
Congressional District Education Task Force and the Westside 
Association for Community Action.
  Joe never gave up on his inner-city community, and the community 
never gave up on him. He leaves a tremendous legacy of commitment, 
dedication and commitment, to serving those who needed help. That is 
why Joe would be pleased to see my colleagues here extolling the 
virtues of tax relief or tax cuts for those who really need it, and not 
for those who do not, those who can benefit if we are real about what 
is needed.

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