Son of Rose
Son of Junius Rose reflects on father's lifeBY ALEX BALLARD ON MAY 17, 2014
In 1957, a new high school was established at a new location to replace the former Greenville High School. The new school was named after the superintendent of the Greenville City Schools district at the time, Junius Harris Rose. Rose, who passed away in 1972, is survived by his son, local dentist Junius Harris Rose, Jr. Dr. Rose remembers his father fondly.
“He was good to his family,” Rose Jr. said. “He was a very active man and was not the type to get lazy.” Rose Sr. was born in Fremont, NC in 1892. He attended Trinity College, now Duke University, and graduated in 1913. His first job was as principal at a school in Kinston where he stayed until 1917 when he joined the army in World War I. “He was part of Artillery and stayed for two years until he got out in 1919 as a First Lieutenant,” Rose Jr. said. Rose Sr. then proceeded to go to Bethel, NC and taught there until 1921 when he came to Greenville. “He became, at that time, superintendent of the Greenville City Schools district and remained there until his retirement in 1967,” Rose Jr. said. Rose Jr. remembered his father being a firm believer in discipline. “He would ride around Greenville to all the different schools constantly to make sure that nothing irregular was happening,” Rose Jr. said. Rose Jr. also recounted how his father used to back up his teachers. “If a parent ever complained, he would always first go to the teacher before taking any action on what they did or didn’t do,” Rose Jr. said. Rose Sr. was involved with many other local programs. He was a volunteer in the Boy Scouts and was awarded the Silver Beaver, the highest award that can be given to adult volunteers in scouting. He also was a member of Jarvis Memorial Church and acted as superintendent for their Sunday School program for 50 years, while acting as superintendent for Greenville City Schools. He was also the board chairman at Sheppard Memorial Library and was involved with Greenville’s Rotary Club. During World War II, Rose Sr. was appointed by the governor as Assistant Director of Civil Defense. “He used to travel all over North Carolina and would get people to participate in Air Raid drills and Blackout drills,” Rose Jr. said. “Since I was a Boy Scout, I would have to ride around on my bike and tell every house that had their lights on, ‘Lights out, please.’” Rose Sr. was also involved with the American Legion, an organization that provides support to the United States Armed Forces and its veterans. “In 1939, he became a state commander for the organization,” Rose Jr. said. “For a full year he traveled to every town in North Carolina that had a Legion post.” Rose Sr. served as the chairman of the Division of Superintendents in North Carolina in 1931, chairmen of the North Carolina Board of the National Youth Administration and president of the North Eastern District of the North Carolina Education Association in 1935. “He was also a member of the State Education Commision of North Carolina from 1937 to 1941 and the Legislative chairman of the North Carolina Congress of Parents and Teachers from 1939 to 1941,” Rose Jr. said. Rose Jr. is the second oldest of four children and stated that they were a very active family. “We used to have a sort of ritual on Sunday afternoons where we would drive through the countryside, get soft drinks, and spend the day at Pamlico Beach,” Rose Jr. said. “One of the most fun times we would have would be when he would take us down to the railroad depot and we would watch them unload the mules and take them to the stables.” Dr. Rose, Jr. attended East Carolina University and graduated with an A.B. degree in science and then joined the Marine Corps for two years until attending dental school in Chapel Hill from 1953 to 1957. “From there I went to Dorothea Dix as a staff dentist for two years,” Rose Jr. said. “I was broke and not really knowing where to go so I took that job which I ended up liking very much.” In 1959, Rose Jr. went to Kinston and practiced dentistry there until 1998. “That’s when Don approached me about coming over here and working on just checking hygiene,” Rose Jr. said. Rose Jr. still works at Doctor Donald Hardee’s office located at 215 Commerce Street in Greenville today and keeps the memories of his father close. HTML Comment Box is loading comments...
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