Dear King’s Community,
I’m writing to share the news that a very dear and longstanding member of our community, Dr. Roselle Green DipJ’65, DCL’15, has passed away.
A lifelong learner, Roselle and her late husband, Dr. Saul Green, formed deep connections to King’s from the time that Roselle earned her Diploma of Journalism here in the ’60s. Prior to that, she had been admitted as one of two women to the Dalhousie Law School in 1947 but left to marry Saul. She later went on to complete a Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts and Diploma in Public Administration at Dalhousie.
Roselle and Saul passed along their love of learning to their four children—along with their deep faith and care for community. The Greens were founding members of Halifax’s Shaar Shalom Congregation, where Roselle was lauded for her innovative and inspired vision, combined with her boundless dedication and leadership.
Roselle enjoyed a successful career as a public relations consultant at Dalhousie and as the head of her own agency for almost twenty years. During that time, she received numerous distinctions, including the President’s medal of the Canadian Public Relations Society, a life membership from the Society’s Nova Scotia Chapter, and a Progress Club Award of Excellence in Communications and Public Affairs.
At the Alumni Dinner in 2014, Roselle was inducted into the Order of the Ancient Commoner, which recognizes an alum or friend of the college who has given significant support to King’s or to the Alumni Association. And for her lifelong contributions to learning, communications and community, Roselle received an honorary degree, Doctor of Civil Laws, at the university’s Encaenia ceremony in 2015. In her speech, she called the institutions of law, community, family and our halls of learning, “the stuff of life.” “King’s footprint will be with you always,” she added.
A steady, cherished presence at King’s events, Roselle was a driving force behind the annual lecture created in partnership with the Shaar Shalom Synagogue and named for her late husband, Dr. Saul Green, which explores aspects of Judaism, medicine, and humanitarianism. The most recent Saul Green Memorial Lecture last November was the very first of these events that she was unable to attend. She was—and will now forever be—deeply missed.
Roselle spent all of her 98 years living a rich life of the mind—and encouraging others to do the same—including by regularly registering for university courses on all kinds of topics in many different disciplines. I know this because we often bumped into each other on our respective daily walks around campus, and Roselle would often tell me about the essay she was working on for whatever course she was then taking. In the last few years of her life, her campus visits were less frequent. But I heard she was still busy teaching herself how to play the violin.
At the last Saul Green lecture, I spoke of the shining example set by the Greens. Both provided the kind of inspiration we need to push back against what divides us and to embrace our shared desire and the opportunities we have to make the world a better place, through friendship, neighbourly relations and spending time learning together. Their legacy will remain with everyone who knew and loved them.
We offer our condolences to Roselle’s friends and family, especially her surviving children, Marcia, Howard and Morris, her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren.
A funeral service will be held for Roselle at Shaar Shalom Synagogue today at 1 p.m., and you’ll find her obituary here.
Today, and next week, the flags in the Quad will fly at half-mast in honour of Roselle.
William Lahey,
President and Vice-Chancellor
