Morris and Marty Rosenbaum
“In today’s society, if someone is capable of going to college, then they should go.” This is a firm belief of Morris and Marty (Martha) Rosenbaum. They are so committed to this belief that they started the Morris and Marty Rosenbaum Scholarship Fund in the Washington County Community Foundation in 1996. This fund awards college scholarships to graduating seniors from Salem High School. “Since this is such a small town, we know a lot of people,” stated Marty. “We have kept track of the students who received our scholarship. So far, every scholarship has gone to young people who have finished college.”
The love of education has been in the Rosenbaum family for generations. “My great-grandfather and father were teachers,” explained Morris. “All my siblings and their spouses are in education. I was influenced by my father, who had polio when he was 18 months old. He was on crutches, but he was able to command respect. He was incredibly strong. He didn’t consider himself handicapped.”
Marty was born on January 17, 1937 at home on a farm in Washington County to Charles and Mildred (Trinkle) Bush. She had one sister, Mary Louise. Marty attended Oxonia Grade School through the seventh grade. She went to Salem Grade School for the eighth grade and then graduated from Salem High School in 1955.
After high school graduation, Marty worked for one year as a clerk/typist at the Louisville Public Schools Board of Education. “I had planned to be a social worker,” explained Marty. “But I changed my mind and decided to become a teacher.” She went to Indiana State University where she was a member of Gamma Phi Beta sorority, and then transferred to Indiana University where she earned her BS in 1961 and MS in 1962. Marty taught elementary school in Martinsville, Greenwood and Salem for thirty-one years. Marty was pleased with the appreciation shown when she was chosen “Teacher of the Year” by the 1990 Awareness Washington County Education Committee.
Morris was born at home, the first baby delivered by Dr. T. K. Tower, on July 27, 1936 in Campbellsburg, Indiana to Ray and Hazel (Green) Rosenbaum. He had one older sister, Betty, and two older brothers, Bill and Wayne. His first twelve years of education were in the Campbellsburg area and he graduated form Campbellsburg High School in 1955. “Although I learned a lot in school, some real education occurred during the summers preceding my sophomore and junior and senior years,” reminisced Morris. “I was a gandy dancer for the Monon Railroad, which means that I drove spikes in the railroad line. My Dad died when I was 15 and I thought I needed to earn some money. I made $1.65 an hour, which was really good money for a kid back then. My Mom thought she had made a mistake by letting me go. I slept in a boxcar and there were many ex-cons, but the money was good and I faired OK. I knew then that I wanted to further my education.”
After graduation, Morris worked for American Airlines as a Fleet Service Clerk, “That is just a fancy way of saying that I loaded baggage” chuckled Morris. He took a leave of absence when he was drafted into the army, then again when he went to college. “After basic training in Ft. Benning GA, Morris had several assignments but eventually ended up in Korea on the DMZ. “I have often said that Americans should all visit Korea for 6 weeks. It would really make them appreciate what we have in the United States.”
Morris and Marty started dating in Feb of 1955 on a blind date. “She lived in the boonies,” recalled Morris. “Way back on a gravel road. On our first date she was sick, but couldn’t call me because we didn’t have a phone. So I drove out there only to be told by her parents that she was too sick to go out. So much for our first date. It was really quite amazing that we had a second date, since my car got dirty on the first one,” joked Morris. Morris and Marty were married on June 14, 1958.
After Morris returned from his military duty, he went to school full time at IU and also worked at a Texaco station and in the AV department at the University. “We lived in a surplus WWII trailer next to the stadium. The rent was $50.00 a month and we got by OK,” stated Marty. During this time, Marty was teaching in Martinsville.
Morris received his B.S. degree at IU in 1963 and later an M.S. from Indiana State and EdS from IU. He and Marty taught in Greenwood, Indiana until 1967, when Morris got the bug to get back on a farm. “Greenwood was too flat and didn’t have enough trees,” stated Marty. So they moved back to Washington County, bought property from Marty’s parents, built a house and had their first child all in 1967. “That was a busy year,” remembered Marty. “We had some grain, but only enough to feed the cattle and horses,” explained Morris. “I always had at least one bull that I was really proud of.”
The next years were filled with raising their children, Melissa and Michelle, teaching school and working the farm. “We took a vacation every year,” started Marty. “We went to most of the states, and we followed our girls as they played sports throughout school. When we had one in 8th grade and one as a senior, getting to all of the games was tough. Sometime we had to split up when the games were at the same time.”
Although Marty focused her teaching talents in the elementary school, Morris’ teaching career took on a variety of roles. From 1967-1973 he taught business at SHS. In 1973 he became an Administrative Assistant and in 1976 he took on the role of Assistant Superintendent. In 1981, he took on the role of Superintendent and served in that capacity until 1990. Deciding that he missed the classroom, Morris returned to teaching and taught accounting from 1991-1994. “He was a wonderful teacher,” recounted Lindsey Wade-Swift, former student. “He was able to make accounting fun and interesting. He is the reason that I majored in business in college.” Morris retired in 1994 and Marty retired in 1996. They then left the farm and moved into Salem.
Like many retirees, Morris and Marty soon filled their time with many activities. Morris was a founding board member of the YMCA serving as Vice President and Financial Manager. He has also served on the Washington County Chamber of Commerce and as an Elder at First Christian Church. He has been a member of the Salem Exchange Club for many years and served as President. He is a volunteer at the Food Bank, and is also on the Washington County Health Board. He is a member of the Washington County Community Foundation and the Retired Teacher’s Association. He is a life member of IU Alumni Association, ISU Alumni Association, Retired Superintendent’s Association, NEA, and the Washington County Historical Society. Morris was a volunteer construction captain at Riley’s Place. He worked every day at the construction site, while the playground was being built.
Marty has also been active in her retirement. She is a member of the Washington County Memorial Hospital Auxiliary (President 2006-2007), PEO, First Christian Church, Friends of the Library, Women’s Club, Washington County Historical Society Retired Teachers Association, IU Alumni Association, and the Washington County Community Foundation.
Six grandchildren have enriched their lives: Daniel, Lyndon, David, Sheldon, Sarah and Maggie. Both Morris and Marty love to travel. They have been to every state (except Hawaii and Mississippi) but hope to rectify that omission soon.
“We were raised by encouraging, Christian parents and we are just interested in helping young people work towards a better life,” stated Marty. Morris added, “We like volunteering and enjoy helping others. This is just one way that we can financially help young people for generations to come.”
