Married in 1943, Anne and Bill became a quiet force within the Riverdale Community, transforming the lives of many who needed a helping hand. This Scholarship Fund serves as testament to their legacy of generosity and altruism to the countless children they welcomed into their home and treated as one of their own. The children who took refuge in the Rothenbergs’ home were not only family members but those of friends as well as total strangers such as the founder of the Anne and William Rothenberg Scholarship Fund. Each child could depend on a safe home, a loving meal and (when necessary) tuition payments. To stave off nostalgia, Anne often learned how to prepare meals indigenous to various countries of her “adoptees” as they came to be known. There were no limits to the work Anne and Bill were willing to do to help children acclimate to their new American home.
As long-time proponents of education, the focus of their efforts was on education. Bill, a veteran of World War II and an educator worked myriad positions in the field of education from District Superintendent, Administrator, Assistant Principles in New York and Massachusetts, to private and public institutions which positioned him well to guide children through the maze of the educational system. Bill was athletic playing many sports from tennis to football and coached high school football.
Professionally, Anne was an artistic tour de force, working as a pianist, a composer, and a voice coach to many Broadway stars. However, her stellar acumen did not prevent her from taking the time to teach some of her adoptees how to play the piano, give free lessons to students who were financially strained or from providing years of entertainment to nursing home residents in her free time.
Humanitarianism was always an intrinsic part of the Rothenberg mission, a fact perhaps best personified by the work Bill’s father did in establishing a family camp, Camp Kokosing, in Thetford Center, VT. Along with Bill’s father and siblings the Rothenbergs ran Camp Kokosing from 1928 to 1977. Camp Kokosing drew attendees from all over the US and created a population of campers who were ethnically and economically diverse while also providing summer job opportunities for American, Canadian, European, Asian, Caribbean, South and Central American and Africans students.
Overall, the Rothenbergs driving purpose was to make a difference in the lives of others, and they spent a lifetime in pursuit of that selfless objective. Through their efforts, they transformed lives of individuals from all walks of life, and we owe them a debt of eternal gratitude for their unwavering commitment to the needs of the global community above themselves.