Henry Rose

Henry Rose was born on October 17th, 1949 in The Republic of Panama. As a kid, he enjoyed airplanes, and he made and flew model airplanes for fun. In Panama, Rose remembered oceans on every side of him and he loved to go to the beach. At a young age, Rose discovered a love for piano. He was a small child, and was fascinated with the large size of the instrument, so he hopped on and began playing. At the age of only four the piano caught his attention. Rose remembers being a very tiny child in school, but that did not stop him from getting his education. He graduated high school at the age of sixteen. Soon after high school, Rose came to the states where he got his masters and doctorate.

Rose came to South Mountain in 1984, where he had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Jerome Garrison. Rose said he came to South Mountain because of the diversity and how he saw it as a gold mine waiting to be built into something bigger and better. The campus was small so there were few full-time teaching positions available. Rose began working with Dr. Garrison and became a music instructor, proving himself through a strong work ethic and dedication to music. Over the years, he helped to introduce well-known productions to SMCC and the South Phoenix community. He is well-remembered for his many performances in The Messiah, as well as his hard-work to help get the performance off the ground in the 1980s.

For much of SMCC’s early years, the campus lacked an adequate Performing Arts Center. Rose remembers one of the most memorable experiences at South Mountain was the grand opening of the Performing Arts Center in 2002. During the grand opening appeared Maya Angelou, and the Phoenix Symphony Chamber Orchestra. Rose shared how it was amazing to talk with her as she shared her wisdom with him.

Rose’s last public recital performance was in October 2011, then after he soon retired. Rose now resides in Panama and he helps with young pianist in an institution for a Young Peoples Piano Competition. Henry has done a great service for the years he was at South Mountain and he will forever be recognized for his amazing contributions as a music instructor at South Mountain.

Narrator	Henry Rose
Birthdate	1949
Place of Origin	Republic of Panama
Place of Residence	Republic of Panama
Occupation	Music Instructor at South Mountain Community College
Years Active in South Phoenix	1984 –
Recording Duration	1:06.36
Date	March 21, 2019
Location	South Mountain Community Library
Interviewed By	Student Researchers: Anthony Hightower & Trevon Trotter
Story Written By	Student Researchers: Anthony Hightower & Trevon Trotter