He was the university’s eldest graduate.
March 2018 – Drew University is mourning the passing of its eldest graduate, Herman Rosenberg of the Class of 1937.
Rosenberg, who was born in 1916, held a degree in economics from Drew and worked for more than 50 years as an investment advisor at IDS, which today is part of Ameriprise Financial.
As an undergraduate, he commuted from Morristown, as he recalled in a conversation with John Cunningham C’38 that was featured in the Winter 2012 issue of Drew Magazine.
“Took the bus to school, cost me 10 cents,” Rosenberg said. “There were maybe 25 in my class, something like that.”
In the same conversation, he said, “Drew opened the world for me. I had no awareness of it until I came here.”
In recent years, Rosenberg maintained a presence on Drew’s campus, attending lectures and ceremonies, including 2015 appearances by historian David McCullough and former Yankees pitcher Jim Bouton and the inauguration of President MaryAnn Baenninger, which took place in October of the same year.
Rosenberg was also generous to his alma mater, which recognized him for loyal giving—he made more than 100 donations to Drew—and making a planned gift. He was particularly generous to Drew Athletics, as a show of gratitude and affection to his coach, mentor and lifetime friend, Sherman Doc Young, and to the role that baseball at Drew played in influencing his life.
Rosenberg was a military veteran who served the U.S. Army during World War II, rising to the rank of captain, according to 2016 story in the Mount Olive Chronicle. That year, he was among 10 veterans honored by the Morris County Freeholders at a ceremony in Morristown.
Doyle Funeral Home in Morristown is handling funeral arrangements. To read Rosenberg’s obituary, please click here.
