Second in a series

Re “Rose’s Wall of Belief That Never Has Wavered”

“One’s principles last over decades, even a lifetime. You don’t make changes in your principles to accommodate friends or personal agendas.” – Steve Rose

Former mayor and City Councilman Steve Rose is proof that a man can grow up staunchly conservative in his liberal hometown without conceding principles.

One of Culver City’s most recognizable personalities was reflecting on his growing-up years.

“My parents were immigrants, escaping Nazi Germany,” Mr. Rose was saying. “My (late) brother and I were twins, and my mother (then 35 years old) had lost another pregnancy much earlier in her life.”

The Rose twins were raised in a home “that was not poor. We may not have had a lot of money, but we always had a family that tried to keep guiding us on a path to the correct principles of life.”

He recalled a scene from perhaps 65 years ago.

“I remember when my brother and I both wanted Jack Purcell tennis shoes and a Pendleton shirt,” Mr. Rose said. “My mom ran the household. She said ‘you can have Jack Purcell shoes or a Pendleton shirt, but not both.’ The money just was not there.

“That type of thought process, not spending money to make their two boys happy while looking at the bigger picture of securing a home and starting a small business was typical of the way we grew up.”

For Mr. Rose, “the picture still is ingrained in my mind.

“Looking at a decision in business that may not bring results tomorrow or next week, but like will in two years and 10 years, that was a major principle when we were growing up.”

(To be continued)