Reminiscing... with Robert Rosensteel, Sr.

Deb Spalding As a youngster in Emmitsburg during the 1950s, Robert (Bob) Rosensteel, Sr., attended school at St. Euphemia’s School on DePaul Street. He remembers that the students who were black were treated differently by some, and there were “White” and “Colored” signs, designating separate use of water fountains and bathrooms. Like most youngsters, Bob had the business of being a kid on his mind at the time, so he didn’t really notice any difference. One day, when preparing for his first Holy Communion, the priest took him aside and asked if he would walk down the aisle with a black classmate (CMDR John Williams United States Navy-retired, Naval Aviator, Vietnam War Veteran, and first black to graduate from Mount St. Mary’s College), who was also receiving his first Holy Communion. Bob said sure, he didn’t see a problem with that. But some of the adults Bob encountered expressed displeasure. Bob did it anyway. A few months ago, Bob noticed an opportunity to make right some of the unfair treatment that U.S. Citizens of black heritage have endured because of the color of their skin. In Emmitsburg, two war memorial plaques exist: one commemorating the locals who fought in WWII at the American Legion on North Seton Avenue, and one commemorating the locals who fought in WWI at the Doughboy statue on West Main Street. Two wars, WWI and WWII, during which “colored” people served. On Emmitsburg’s WWII plaque, names are listed in alphabetical order; on Emmitsburg’s WWI plaque, local black citizens who served are designated as “colored” at the bottom of the plaque. A few months ago, the Doughboy statue, to which the WWI plaque is affixed, was knocked over by a vehicle. Bob thought that this would be a great opportunity to install a new plaque, where all of the soldiers are listed alphabetically in one list. He said, “It’s about treating your fellow man with the respect that they should have been shown in the first place.” According to MilitaryHistory Online.com, black soldiers were fighting for respect and to prove their loyalty to the United States. While they were turned away from military service to begin with, the War Department passed the Selective Service Act in 1917 that required all male citizens between the ages of twenty-one and thirty-one to register for the draft. By the end of World War I, blacks served in cavalry, infantry, signal, medical, engineer, and artillery units, as well as chaplains, surveyors, truck drivers, chemists, and intelligence officers. It is interesting to note that a 13 percent of blacks served when the quota sought only 10 percent. Black and white Americans served, fought, and perished in WWI. The sentiment expressed by many Veterans who have served in battle sums things up. When you’re in the middle of a war zone, the only important thing is the American Flag on the uniform of the person you’re relying on. Neither that person’s rank, the color of their eyes, their gender, nor the color of their skin, is important. Bob added, “Those in WWI are all gone. They don’t have anyone to speak for them. But if you have a love for our fellow man to make this equal, let’s do it!” Bob added.   His idea to make this change was met with several opposing viewpoints, including: it’s history, let the record reflect what was happening at the time; there is a lot of red tape to wade through to make a change like that; there isn’t money to change the plaque. He pondered, “It’s the times that we live through that make you scratch your head and wonder if you contributed to the bad things that happened to people.” Bob also reminisced about music. In the late 1950s, he was part of numerous rock-n-roll bands as a backup drummer. One rainy day, he attended a Buddy Deane Hop at the VFW in Emmitsburg. The Buddy Deane Hops were teen dance shows that were held in local towns, sponsored by Baltimore WJZ-TV. Bob’s little band was to do a back-up for Buddy Deane who had someone coming in. There was a deluge of rain on this evening. Buddy Deane and his gang had parked on the bank side (corner opposite the VFW) of the square, and had to carry their equipment across the square. Buddy Deane’s equipment was records; he was a disc jockey. The band that came with Buddy Deane wanted a back up, and that’s where Bob played drums. Bob didn’t know who the guy was who came in, but the guy rushed in to use a piano in a back room to scribble words and pound out a song. His wording, “Splish splash I’m takin’ a bath” didn’t mean anything at the time, but the guy turned out to be Bobby Darin. Darin went on to do movies, and the whole Hollywood “scene.” Could it be said that the conception of the idea behind this well-known song, “Splish Splash,” took place in the square of Emmitsburg, Maryland? According to the internet, “Splish Splash” was written with DJ Murray the K (Murray Kaufman), who bet that Darin couldn’t write a song that began with the words, “Splish Splash, I was takin’ a bath,” as suggested by Murray’s mother, Jean Kaufman. Maybe it was just coincidence that Darin “splish splashed” across the square of Emmitsburg on that Saturday night. At another Buddy Dean Hop, held at Taneytown’s St. Joseph’s Hall, Bob and his friends hung out with another famous crooner, Brenda Lee. She was called “Little Dynamite” and was seen on television on the Jimmy Dean Show. She was usually shown sitting on Jimmy Dean’s piano. She went on to become an icon in the music business, with songs like “I’m Sorry” and “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” She has been inducted into three Halls of Fame: Rock and Roll, Country Music, and Rockabilly. Bob said, “She’s really a big name. Growing up in the ‘50s, that was our way to get out, by going to these local Hops. It was not like today, where you go to a big concert and see a toothpick-sized figure on stage. Buddy Deane and Jimmy Dean were probably responsible for getting a number of music icons early exposure.”