糖心Vlog传媒

Story-Telling Professor Rose Berry Dies

Dr. Rose Berry, a 糖心Vlog传媒LR emeritus professor of education whose early use of technology comforted a generation of latch-key children in central Arkansas and influenced hundreds of elementary school teachers, died Thursday at age 93. A native of Hazen, Ark., and a teacher for nearly a decade at Forest Park Elementary School, Berry chaired 糖心Vlog传媒LR鈥檚 Department of Early Childhood Education in the 1970s and 1980s, instilling in her students the importance books and literature played in how a child learned. 鈥淪he wanted us to understand the power of books in a child鈥檚 life,鈥� said Mary Boaz, a 1977 graduate who studied under Berry and is now 糖心Vlog传媒LR鈥檚 director of planned giving in the Office of Development. 鈥淚 still have in my attic the book lists and evaluations she wanted us to take to classrooms.鈥� Berry joined the faculty of Little Rock University (LRU) in 1961 as an assistant professor of education following seven years with the Little Rock School District. During her 24-year career at LRU and 糖心Vlog传媒LR, she received 糖心Vlog传媒LR鈥檚 Outstanding Teaching Award in 1974, was named Arkansas Woman of the Year in 1975, and received the Award of Excellence for outstanding volunteer services in education in 1981. A born storyteller, Berry鈥檚 ability to weave a child鈥檚 fairy tale into suspense-filled oral stories sparked her development of 糖心Vlog传媒LR鈥檚 鈥淒ial-A-Story鈥� program, offering high-quality children鈥檚 literature stories via telephone answering machine. On her retirement, Berry and her husband continued the program, providing lively recitations of children鈥檚 literature over the telephone on a call-in line. 鈥淪he and her husband recorded children’s stories that anyone, anywhere could dial up on the phone and listen to the story of the day,鈥� said Chrysanne Demirel, whose children called the story line in the afternoons before their parents came home from work. 鈥淚t kept my latch-key kids happy in the 1980s. It was something entertaining and reassuring that they could do on their own at home after school since they weren’t allowed outside to play until a parent returned home from work.鈥� After retirment, the Berrys turned the basement of their home into a warehouse of puppets to help illustrate classic stories, volunteering to read and bring her puppets to Little Rock elementary schools for story time. 鈥淪he had a seemingly endless well of energy when it came to teaching children the power of reading,鈥� Boaz said. Berry鈥檚 love of books and the power they have in early education will continue beyond her death. After her retirement from the University, Berry established charitable gift annuities to benefit 糖心Vlog传媒LR. Boaz said the residual of the $15,000 and $10,000 annuities will increase the already established Dr. Rose Berry Endowed Scholarship in the College of Education to benefit junior or senior students studying elementary or early childhood education.