Rose Resnick
A smiling, slim white woman wearing a hat, sunglasses and a corsage, from a 1955 newspaper photo
Rose Resnick, from a 1955 newspaper
BornNovember 27, 1906
New York City
DiedAugust 14, 2006 (aged 99)
San Francisco, California
Occupation(s)Musician, educator, philanthropist

Rose Resnick (November 27, 1906 – August 14, 2006) was an American musician, educator, and philanthropist. She was co-founder and co-director of the Enchanted Hills Camp for the Blind in California, and a leader in San Francisco's blind community for decades.

Early life and education

Rose Resnick was born in New York City, the daughter of Harris Resnick and Leah Resnick.[1] Both of her parents were Jewish immigrants from Russia; her father sold cloaks and suits. She became blind from glaucoma in childhood. She studied music at the Manhattan School of Music and at the Fontainebleau Conservatory of Music in France, with Nadia Boulanger.[2][3] She graduated from Hunter College in 1928. She later earned a master's degree and a teaching credential at San Francisco State University in 1961, with a master's thesis titled "Learning and Social Development at a Camp for Blind Children."[4] She completed doctoral studies in education at the University of San Francisco in 1981.[5]

Career

Resnick was a concert pianist, and trained as a teacher, but as a blind woman was barred from employment in the New York City public schools. She taught music to blind students and gave recitals in New York,[6] and was active on stage as an actress with the Lighthouse Players.[7][8][9] She moved to California in the 1930s, after visiting San Francisco to compete in a national piano competition.[10] She played piano in clubs and on radio during and after World War II.[5][11] She gave school and community presentations combining musical performance and demonstrations with her guide dog, Ilsa.[12][13]

After founding Recreation for the Blind[14] and running a few summer camps at other locations in the late 1940s,[15][16] Resnick bought land and, with Nina Brandt,[17][18] became co-founder and co-director of the Enchanted Hills Camp in Napa County in 1950.[19][20] "When children play in groups, it's natural to bridge that gap between the sighted world and the world of the blind," she explained in 1949.[21] She left active directorship of the camp in 1961.[11]

Resnick was founder and executive director of the California League of the Handicapped in San Francisco from 1961 to 1991.[11][22] In 1965 she helped establish the Garden of Fragrance at Golden Gate Park, a multi-sensory park experience with blind signage. She started a library of audiotape materials for California prisoners with reading disabilities.[5] Resnick's programs merged with the San Francisco Association for the Blind to become the San Francisco LightHouse for the Blind,[23] and eventually the LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.[5]

She wrote two autobiographies, Sun and Shadow: The Autobiography of a Woman who Cleared a Pathway to the Seeing World for the Blind (1975),[24] and Dare to Dream: The Rose Resnick Story (1988).[25][26]

Honors and awards

Resnick won several scholarships and competitions as a young musician.[10] Resnick's contributions were recognized by the National Council of Jewish Women, with the Hannah G. Solomon Award for community service. Hadassah presented Resnick with the Myrtle Wreath Award.[27] In 1974 she was named Handicapped Professional Woman of the Year by Pilot Club International.[11] In 1983, she received the Migel Award from the American Foundation for the Blind.[28]

Personal life

Resnick traveled for work and pleasure, including study in France as a young woman,[2] and a consulting trip to Israel in the 1980s.[27] She died in 2006, in San Francisco, aged 99 years.[23] Enchanted Hills Camp continues to serve blind children, teens, and adults in the 21st century,[29] though about half of the campground's structures were damaged by wildfires in 2017.[30]

References

  1. ↑ "PIANIST'S PARENT KILLED; Rose Resnick's Mother Is Run Over by an Oil Truck". The New York Times. 1951-01-06. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-09-24.
  2. 1 2 "BLIND GIRL TO STUDY ABROAD; Miss Rose Resnick to Sail June 16 for Music Scholarship in France". The New York Times. 1928-05-21. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-09-24.
  3. ↑ Bhalerao, Usha (1988). Eminent Blind Women of the World: Their Contribution and Achievements. Sterling Publishers. p. 76. ISBN 978-81-207-0849-5.
  4. ↑ Resnick, Rose (1961). Learning and Social Development at a Camp for Blind Children. San Francisco State College.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Egelko, Bob (2006-08-17). "Rose Resnick -- helped form LightHouse for the Blind". SFGATE. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
  6. ↑ Downes, Olin (1933-03-13). "Yehudi Menuhin Gives Vivid Presentation of Elgar's Second Violin Concerto -- Other Concerts". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-09-24.
  7. ↑ "Lighthouse Players Act Playlets". The New York Times. 1926-12-04. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-09-24.
  8. ↑ "BLIND TO GIVE A PLAY.; Lighthouse Players to Produce "Lilies of the Fieid" on Dec. 6". The New York Times. 1928-11-25. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-09-24.
  9. ↑ "Blind Actresses in Little Plays". The New York Times. 1929-02-24. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-09-24.
  10. 1 2 "BLIND, WINS MUSIC HONORS; Miss Rose Resnick Victor in Eastern States Competition". The New York Times. 1931-06-13. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-09-24.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Moore, Marilyn N. (1974-07-17). "Blindness Didn't Handicap Her". The Miami News. p. 63. Retrieved 2021-09-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "Blind Pianist Entertains". The Indian Leader. 48: 4. April 13, 1945.
  13. ↑ "PTA To Feature Rose Resnick, Blind Pianist". Visalia Times-Delta. 1944-03-23. p. 7. Retrieved 2021-09-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "Miss Rose Resnick, Blind Pianist, Will Entertain BPWC". Los Gatos Times-Saratoga Observer. 1948-03-19. p. 7. Retrieved 2021-09-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "Out of Darkness". Fortnight: The Newsmagazine of California. 7: 13. September 16, 1949.
  16. ↑ Herbert, Frank (1949-08-10). "38 Blind Youngsters Have Their Day at Carnival". The Evening Press and Santa Rosa Republican. p. 11. Retrieved 2021-09-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ "Rose Resnick is Welcome Club Speaker". Daily Independent Journal. 1955-03-11. p. 11. Retrieved 2021-09-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ "Marin Auxiliary for Blind Hosts First Membership Tea". Daily Independent Journal. 1954-08-06. p. 13. Retrieved 2021-09-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ East, Barbara (1950-08-13). "Blind Children Swim, Ride in Summer Camp". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 17. Retrieved 2021-09-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ "Guest Artist". The Sacramento Bee. 1950-04-27. p. 39. Retrieved 2021-09-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ↑ Mezquida, Anna Blake (1949-01-16). "Donna Danced". The San Francisco Examiner. p. 93. Retrieved 2021-09-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ↑ Olderman, Murray (1975-12-10). "Rose Resnick Sees More than Most". The Journal Times. p. 13. Retrieved 2021-09-24 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. 1 2 "History". LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Retrieved 2021-09-23.
  24. ↑ The Best in Children's Books: The University of Chicago Guide to Children's Literature, 1973-78. University of Chicago Press. 1980. p. 379. ISBN 978-0-226-78059-7.
  25. ↑ Resnick, Rose (1988-09-01). "Random Thoughts on Education". Academic Therapy. 24 (1): 113–116. doi:10.1177/105345128802400120. ISSN 0001-396X. S2CID 144749142.
  26. ↑ Resnick, Rose (1988). Dare to dream : the Rose Resnick story. Strawberry Hill Press. ISBN 9780894070891. OCLC 17841822.
  27. 1 2 Wall, Alix (2006-08-18). "Rose Resnick, 99, blind activist for the disabled". J. Retrieved 2021-09-24.
  28. ↑ "Previous Honorees". The American Foundation for the Blind. Retrieved 2021-09-24.
  29. ↑ Dills, Isabelle (July 31, 2011). "Blind youngsters forge bonds at Enchanted Hills summer camp". Napa Valley Register. Retrieved 2021-09-24.
  30. ↑ Hotchkiss, Sarah (November 14, 2017). "Napa Camp for the Blind to Rebuild for Future Generations". KQED. Retrieved 2021-09-24.
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