A Passion for Nursing
by Kathlene Ward
Rose Weinberg
September 18, 1904-September 22, 2000
Rose Weinberg, born on September 18, 1904 in New York to Louis and Franny Weinberg, exemplifies what being a female veteran in the mid-1900s meant. Rose Weinberg would grow to become a nurse in the U.S. Navy during World War Two and she dedicated herself to a lifetime of service to her country. [1]
In her adolescence, Rose attended Wittier Elementary and lived in a house on 20th and Lafayette in New York, a home which she would later refer to as “the devil house”.[2] Every day, the wife of the house’s owner would walk her to school until she became too old to be escorted. As she grew up, Rose enjoyed going to Jones Beach in New York, a popular place to go and spend time with her friends, and where she recalled getting the worst sunburn of her life.
Upon reaching adulthood, she realized her calling for nursing. On February 8, 1934, Rose graduated with a nursing degree from the Mount Sinai Hospital School of Nursing in New York, where she received the Betty Loeb Award. Following her graduation, Rose began work as a social worker at the local hospital. [3] In the years following, she would drive across the country in a car that was regrettably without air conditioning, to vacation in cities like San Francisco, Kansas City, and Chicago with her close friends, including Margarite Bonnala, who she is pictured with in several photos from her youth.
During her time in the military, Rose served as a nurse in the U.S. Navy during World War II, and was a district supervisor with the Boston Visiting Nurses for 11 years. On April 2, 1946, Rose received a Certificate of Satisfactory Service from the U.S. Navy, joining the other 1600 nurses who were given military decorations in nursing during World War Two.[4] Unlike the men in service, nurses were not allowed ranks, so she would have been referred to as “Miss Weinberg” rather than be given a title for her work.[5] After she left the Navy, she continued her passion for nursing. She became a registered nurse in Massachusetts in December of 1946. On October 31, 1951, she graduated from Columbia University with a Bachelor of Science degree.
Having grown up among very close friends whom she kept in contact with into old age, Rose valued those whom she loved dearly, and would often recall where her childhood friends ended up in adulthood. She kept numerous photo albums, documenting her military service as well as the post-war years spent with friends and family. Rose was also a doting aunt, who loved her nephews. She passed away on September 22, 2000, shortly after her 96th birthday. She proved herself to be admired and well-liked, earning the friendship of many while also proving herself to be an incredibly hard worker, earning awards for her nursing abilities in and outside of the Navy.
Footnotes ↓
[1] 2009. Find a Grave. April 20. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/36122061/rose-weinberg
[2] Weinberg, Rose. n.d. Rose Weinberg Interview. Special Collections at the University of Denver, “Rose Weinberg Collection.”
[3] "Rose Weinberg Collection." Rose Weinberg Collection. University of Denver Special Collections.
[4] “Short History of Military Nursing: World War II 1939-1945. http://researchguides.ebling.library.wisc.edu/c.php?g=293228&p=1953193
[5] Bernatitus, Ann. “U.S. Navy Nurse in the Pacific Theater during World War II”. Ohio State University. https://ehistory.osu.edu/oral-histories/AnnBernatitus
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