Individual Details
Edward Rose
(1889 - 29 Jan 1987)
DR. EDWARD ROSE, 98, AN HONORED EDUCATOR AND PHYSICIAN AT PENN
The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Saturday, January 31, 1987: Dr. Edward Rose, 98, a much-honored teacher in the University of Pennsylvania's School of Medicine who continued his career despite blindness, died Thursday at his home at Kendal at Longwood, a retirement community in Kennett Square. He was a former resident of Wynnewood. Professor emeritus of clinical medicine, Dr. Rose taught at Penn for 50 years and, in retirement, continued to work and write in his specialty. A native of Chattanooga, he came north to study and was a 1921 graduate of Penn's School of Medicine. He interned at Presbyterian Hospital and was a resident physician at Cincinnati General Hospital and Penn. He won a fellowship at Penn and, in 1925, became an instructor.
In 1926, he became head of Penn's Thyroid Clinic, a post he held until 1936. He then became chief of the endocrine section of Penn's department of medicine, serving in that post until 1954. Until he retired in 1974, Dr. Rose taught Penn medical students the details of the endocrine system and the functions and malfunctions of the thyroid, adrenal and pituitary glands. While he taught, he was slowly going blind. He had faced a problem with his retinas since his youth. He lost the sight of one eye in 1933 and the other in 1939. Surgery was attempted but was unsuccessful.
But he went on, teaching, studying and writing. Medical students read to him and guided him to and from classes. His wife, Dr. Elizabeth Kirk Rose, also a teaching physician, drove him to and from the campus and also read to him. His patients also helped. They gave him a watch that would sound the hour, quarter-hour and minute as he lectured. He paced his teaching to its tones and ended his classes on an exacting schedule. After 12 years of working in the dark, he dictated the story of his blindness. It was published under a pseudonym in a 1952 issue of the Atlantic Monthly. His wife said yesterday that professional journals had published 95 of his articles.
Both Dr. Rose and his wife were honored with the Lindback Award, a national prize for distinguished teaching. He was elected to membership in Sigma Xi and Alpha Omega Alpha, honor societies for work in science and medicine. In 1983, the Roses were presented Penn's Distinguished Alumni Award.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by sons, Edward K. and William E., and two grandsons.
A memorial service will be held at 2:30 p.m. next Saturday at Kendal at Longwood. Another memorial service will be scheduled on the Penn campus. Contributions in his name may be sent in care of the dean of Penn's School of Medicine.
The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Saturday, January 31, 1987: Dr. Edward Rose, 98, a much-honored teacher in the University of Pennsylvania's School of Medicine who continued his career despite blindness, died Thursday at his home at Kendal at Longwood, a retirement community in Kennett Square. He was a former resident of Wynnewood. Professor emeritus of clinical medicine, Dr. Rose taught at Penn for 50 years and, in retirement, continued to work and write in his specialty. A native of Chattanooga, he came north to study and was a 1921 graduate of Penn's School of Medicine. He interned at Presbyterian Hospital and was a resident physician at Cincinnati General Hospital and Penn. He won a fellowship at Penn and, in 1925, became an instructor.
In 1926, he became head of Penn's Thyroid Clinic, a post he held until 1936. He then became chief of the endocrine section of Penn's department of medicine, serving in that post until 1954. Until he retired in 1974, Dr. Rose taught Penn medical students the details of the endocrine system and the functions and malfunctions of the thyroid, adrenal and pituitary glands. While he taught, he was slowly going blind. He had faced a problem with his retinas since his youth. He lost the sight of one eye in 1933 and the other in 1939. Surgery was attempted but was unsuccessful.
But he went on, teaching, studying and writing. Medical students read to him and guided him to and from classes. His wife, Dr. Elizabeth Kirk Rose, also a teaching physician, drove him to and from the campus and also read to him. His patients also helped. They gave him a watch that would sound the hour, quarter-hour and minute as he lectured. He paced his teaching to its tones and ended his classes on an exacting schedule. After 12 years of working in the dark, he dictated the story of his blindness. It was published under a pseudonym in a 1952 issue of the Atlantic Monthly. His wife said yesterday that professional journals had published 95 of his articles.
Both Dr. Rose and his wife were honored with the Lindback Award, a national prize for distinguished teaching. He was elected to membership in Sigma Xi and Alpha Omega Alpha, honor societies for work in science and medicine. In 1983, the Roses were presented Penn's Distinguished Alumni Award.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by sons, Edward K. and William E., and two grandsons.
A memorial service will be held at 2:30 p.m. next Saturday at Kendal at Longwood. Another memorial service will be scheduled on the Penn campus. Contributions in his name may be sent in care of the dean of Penn's School of Medicine.
Events
| Birth | 1889 | Chattanooga, Hamilton Co., Tennessee |  | ||
| Marriage | 6 Jul 1929 | Elizabeth R. Kirk | | ||
| Death | 29 Jan 1987 | Kennett Square, Chester Co., Pennsylvania | | ||
| Burial | Unknown | |
Families
| Spouse | Elizabeth R. Kirk (1901 - 2008) |
Endnotes
1. Obituary of Edward Rose, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Saturday, January 31, 1987.
2. Find A Grave.
3. Find A Grave.
4. Obituary of Edward Rose, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Saturday, January 31, 1987.
5. Obituary of Edward Rose, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Saturday, January 31, 1987.