Judith Shulman Rowe

Judith didn't talk about shattering glass ceilings; she just did it. She thought out of the box; wouldn't accept traditional norms on face value. In elementary school, she was a tenacious advocate of girls wearing slacks to school.  At age 14, she wrote a letter to General Nimitz offering to "adopt" a wounded soldier - by writing letters and sending packages - and the General politely responded. In high school, Judith was an editor of the school newspaper; she assumed numerous leadership roles, many in Jewish and Zionist groups, and she organized community-wide youth events in her hometown of Paterson, NJ.

Judith was anchored in resilience. By the time she was nine years old she had lost her younger sister, Merna, to strep throat. Her mother disappeared for months on end for hospitalizations, and despite the lack of stability, and the anxiety of the unknown, Judith transcended difficulties. Her resilience rested in a deep inner strength, bolstered by family, friends and boundless intellectual curiosity. 

Judith maintained childhood friendships her entire life, and assembled more in every new step of her life. Her high school friendship with Peter later blossomed into romance, and the two got married in 1951. Their friends and their spouses, some from as early as elementary school, remained devoted and spirited partners in travels, adventures and into the trials, tribulations and satisfactions of aging.