Frederick Martin Rosenberg

Fred Rosenberg, a public relations and advertising executive, professional photographer and Seaman in the US Navy has died at age 87.

Fred Rosenberg lived a storied and rich life. He was born into a modest family with strong roots in Newark, NJ. His father Abraham was the owner and pharmacist of Eckert’s Pharmacy on Ferry Street in the Ironbound section of Newark while his mother Ida, when not caring for her three children, was a staple at the storefront, greeting customers in her outgoing way. An inherently impish child with a compassionate nature, Fred made a big impact on all those that he encountered, a constant throughout his life. Growing up on Osbourne Terrace, a classically American neighborhood of the 30’s and 40’s, Fred experienced a street life that created everlasting friendships. He attended Weequahic High School, a fabled Newark NJ high school whose halls at that time were filled with athletic, artistic and intellectual luminaries, all cut from the same cloth. At Weequahic, Fred starred on the football team playing on both sides of the ball, something common in the ‘leatherhead’ era of the game.

After graduation Fred enlisted in the U.S. Navy. This being 1948, WWII had ended, but following in his older brother Jerome’s (“Buddy”) footsteps, who flew C-130’s in the Pacific theater during the War, enlistment was a given. While in the Navy, Fred kept his love of sports kindled as a boxer, but it was here that he developed his love of literature, particularly Russian literature, and photography (always with an Angus C-3 35mm camera given to him by his father) that would shape much of his life and become his true passion. Upon completion of his service, he accepted a football scholarship at Upsala College, starred on the Varsity football team, again playing both sides of the ball, and was a member of Theta Epsilon fraternity. Then came graduate studies at Rutgers, marriage to his beloved and treasured wife Frances, and an entry level advertising job.

While he spent days in the advertising and public relations business, he spent much of his spare time as a creative and journalistic photographer, spending hours in the gritty New York streets of the era. Well before the digital age, he always carried his Leica C model over his shoulder, before graduating to the Leica M3. Fred’s pictures captured the hardscrabble street life, politicians (JFK, Eisenhower) and artists (Allen Ginsburg, Ornette Coleman) of the day. His photography has been displayed at the National Arts Club in New York and is on permanent display at several museums.

Fred’s gregariousness and his sensitive, kind and artistic qualities resulted in deep and remarkable friendships, in which there was a distinct ability to touch on a deeply personal and emotional level the hundreds of people he encountered throughout his life. It was not uncommon that every day people would consider Fred their best friend and confidant. He would always take the time to talk and listen to people’s stories and make new friends. While his photography leaves a more tangible legacy, Fred’s true legacy is how he touched so many lives in such a personal, positive and loving way.

He is survived by his darling wife Frances, his children Jane Saidenberg and Glenn Rosenberg, grandchildren Lucas and Nicholas Saidenberg, Isabela Betances and Jack Rosenberg, his older brother and sister-in-law Jerome and Lee Rosenberg, his son and daughter-in-law Andrew Saidenberg and Leah Hill and a community of family and friends for which he was always grateful. Services will be held at Berhneim Apter Kreitzman Suburban Funeral Chapel, Livingston, NJ on October 4th at 2:00PM. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Trustbridge, a Home Health and Hospice Care facility.