Glady Rose sat back one day and thought about her life. She is immensely proud to be the wife of Gerry Rose and mother to Kathryn, Toby, Naomi, and David. She fondly remembers her own educational experiences and pioneering the regional education system in our province. To all who would listen, she promoted the virtues of feminism. She continues to be active in the Jewish community and cares immensely about the health system.
But each day, she laments the loss of her soul mate and their first-born daughter.
The Rose family has a long history of supporting Saskatoon. At this point in Glady’s life, it became fitting for her to make one more gracious gift to Saskatoon. “I knew for some time that I wanted to honour the memories of Gerry and Kathryn, but I didn’t quite know how,” explains Glady. After examining alternatives with The Saskatoon Foundation, Glady settled on a scholarship that recognized her loved ones and rewarded a value her family felt strongly about – volunteerism.
Ever since the Rose family came to Saskatoon in 1913, it was active in the community. In 1913, Gerry’s father founded Arthur Rose Limited and Rose Art Furs, gaining a reputation as a superior dry cleaning and fur company. After receiving a B.A. (Chemistry) from the University of Saskatchewan and four years as a member of the Canadian Army, Gerry joined the family business as a manager, in 1945.
Even while raising a family and working six days a week, Gerry actively participated in the community. He offered his time and services to support volunteer activities, including work with St. Paul’s Hospital, Saskatoon Economic Development Board, 1979 Western Canada Summer Games, 1989 Jeux Canada Games, Saskatoon Jewish Foundation, and B’nai Brith. For his volunteer efforts, he was invested as a Member of the Order of Canada in 1999.
Kathryn was the first child born to Gerry and Glady. After graduating from Walter Murray Collegiate, she earned a B.A. from the University of Saskatchewan and went on to gain her LL.B. from Osgood Hall. Kathy worked for the first Ombudsman of Ontario as Director of Legal Research, rising to become the Director of General Investigations. In 1980, she joined her husband in practice, forming the law firm of Cooper & Cooper.
Like her parents, Kathy believed in helping others and carried on the tradition of volunteerism. Kathy was actively involved with Mount Sinai Hospital, working tirelessly to improve patient care.
“As a family, we believe that we were placed on this earth to make it a better place. Deep down we genuinely believe that the strength of a community comes from people giving of themselves to achieve something wonderful for the benefit of many,” says Glady.
To recognize and celebrate her loved ones, Glady established the Gerald F. Rose and Kathryn R. (Rose) Cooper Memorial Scholarship to benefit a graduating student of Walter Murray Collegiate. The annual scholarship recognizes local volunteerism while supporting post-secondary education.