November 16, 2015

Barbara Rose

Barbara Rose was born in San Antonio, Texas, where her family had long-standing roots. Her great-grandmother, known to the family as Manny, lived in San Antonio, and her grandfather ran a store there. Barbara's father worked for several companies, including Frost Brothers, and later owned stores of his own, which meant the family moved frequently during her childhood. They lived in Amarillo, where she attended a private first grade, then Oklahoma City in the second grade, and Enid by the sixth grade, where her father ran a store called Herzberg's. Her father was born in Oklahoma City, and his own father died in a fire while in the demolition business in Paris, Texas.

Barbara kept her Jewish connections alive even while living in small towns. In Oklahoma City she attended religious school with a cousin close to her in age, and after moving to Enid she commuted to Oklahoma City for religious school. She was part of the first confirmation class in the new Temple B'nai Israel, a group of girls she recalled clumping down the concrete floor with white prayer books. She attended the University of Colorado for one year before transferring to the University of Texas, where she joined a sorority and majored in mathematics, later becoming a computer programmer.

Barbara moved to Dallas, where she met her husband, Bill, through a social connection tied to a convention. She worked as a computer programmer for American Petrofina in the era of punch cards, foreseeing early on that accounting firms would one day need programmers. She continued using computers throughout her life, teaching herself database work and other skills. In Dallas she became active in the community, joining the National Council of Jewish Women and the Temple Emanu-El Sisterhood, and volunteering with Jewish Family Service, the Dallas Jewish Historical Society, and the Dallas Furniture Bank. She valued volunteering as both service and a way to build friendships, and she enjoyed knitting, bridge, and traveling on cruises.

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