History

Rose Medical Center

In 1944, a group of Jewish business and professional leaders, led by Maurice Shwayder, had started to organize an effort to build a new hospital that would fill a gap in the Denver community. Denver had a critical shortage of hospital beds, and many physicians returning from World War II had difficulty finding places to practice. The new hospital would be open to doctors and patients of all creeds, races and origins, and dedicated to excellence in medical care. The campaign gained momentum when the organizers decided to name the new hospital in honor of Major General Maurice Rose (right). The group undertook an intensive local and national fundraising campaign, enlisting the support of well-known Jewish celebrities of the time. On August 31, 1948, General Dwight D. Eisenhower laid the cornerstone for the main building of the hospital.

Adopting the motto, “Our standards are simply higher,” Rose Medical Center was an innovator, bringing to Denver the region’s first coronary-care unit, the Rocky Mountain area’s primary center for the treatment of arthritis and rheumatic diseases, and one of the region’s most progressive programs in obstetrics, gynecology, and newborn care. The hospital was also a focal point for community service and philanthropy. Several generations from the same families supported the hospital as doctors, donors, volunteers, and staff professionals.

Rose Community Foundation

n 1995, Rose Medical Center’s trustees understood that an independent nonprofit hospital could not easily endure in the emerging economic climate. On April 25, 1995, following a national trend among independent nonprofit hospitals, Rose Medical Center was acquired by a health-care corporation. With the proceeds of the sale, approximately $170 million, the hospital trustees decided to form Rose Community Foundation as a vehicle to perpetuate the legacy of the hospital: its standards of excellence, its tradition of philanthropy, and its commitment to serve the entire community.

Major General Maurice Rose (1899 - 1945)

Rose Community Foundation derives its name from Major General Maurice Rose, one of America’s most decorated military leaders of the 20th century.

The son and grandson of Orthodox Jewish rabbis, Rose grew up in Denver and took part in World War I as a young man. During World War II, he led a number of successful military drives in North Africa and Europe, including one of the first assaults on German forces occupying Omaha Beach one day after D-Day. In 1944, he was commander of the U.S. Army’s 3rd Armored Division, the first military unit to penetrate Germany during the war. Major General Rose was killed on the battlefield March 30, 1945. During his career, he received many military honors including the Distinguished Service Medal. Upon his death, The New York Times wrote, “The American Army was deprived of one of its most skilled and gallant officers and a man of rare personal charm…”