EDITOR WAS PIONEER IN ONLINE JOURNALISM AT U-T

•1956-2020

Jeff Rose, who leveraged his skills as a newspaper reporter and editor with tech know-how to become a leader in the emerging world of online journalism at The San Diego Uniontribune, died last month in Redding.

He died at home Nov. 1 as a result of complications from diabetes, family members said. He was 64.

Rose spent 24 years at The San Diego Union-tribune, working as a copy editor, assistant city editor and reporter before launching a weekly section called Computerlink in 1992. He became the editor of the UT’S website, then called Signonsandiego, three years later. He held the post for 14 years.

His former boss, Chris Jennewein, called Rose “a true pioneer in the early days of digital media at newspapers.” Former coworkers recalled his engaging personality and sharp wit.

Rose’s embrace of online journalism came at a critical juncture. At the time, many journalists were wary of tech’s intrusion into the business, fearful that online publications would be ineffective in meeting the public’s needs and could undermine credibility. Rose lobbied and demonstrated how the profession could evolve.

“He understood the potential of the Internet to transform media and worked hard to push The San Diego Union-tribune in the right direction. And he did this with a special kindness and sense of humor that his colleagues appreciated,” recalled Jennewein, who served as vice president of Internet operations at the U-T and now is editor and publisher of the online Times of San Diego.

His colleagues said Rose’s vast technical skills were the key to launching the online news site.

“In the early days of the web, when Signonsandiego was just getting started, Jeff cobbled together a publishing system out of Microsoft Word macros,” recalled Jeff Dillon, a writer and editor who worked with Rose starting in 2000. “It was absurd, but it worked and it was free — and the system continued to power parts of the Uniontribune’s website until 2008.”

Jennewein said Rose was instrumental in the Union-tribune’s online coverage of major news events including 9/11 and the San Diego County wildfires of 2003 and 2007 — writing code, editing content and managing the news flow so vital information could reach readers quickly.

Twice divorced, Rose was a dedicated father to his son, Ben. Rose was a fixture at his son’s soccer games and always the last to leave every school open house, recalled former wife Teri Gajria.

He grew up in Claremont in Los Angeles County, the second of three children. His mother was a poet and college professor who taught sociology and English. His father, an attorney, fled Germany as a child to escape the Holocaust. The couple divorced while Rose was a child.

Rose was musical, playing the trumpet and piano, and enjoyed singing in a choir during high school and later as an adult, recalled his sister, Erica Rose.

He was a competitive Scrabble player, famous for coming up with high-point words in family games. He continued to play online with friends for years. But his main love was being outdoors — hiking, camping and skiing.

When Rose was 17, he fell ill on a backpacking trip, and by time he got home, he was nearly in a coma. That’s when he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. “The doctor said anybody else would have been in a coma, but at that time, he was in really good shape because he was a hiker,” his sister said.

After graduating from Claremont High School, Rose attended Citrus Community College and Cal State Fullerton, where he initially studied geography. He transferred to Humboldt State, where he switched to journalism, earning a bachelor’s degree.

Mike Sweesy, who shared a friendship with Rose for 50 years, roamed the San Gabriel Mountains with Rose as a teen, and the two later explored the Sierra Nevada high country on backpacking trips. Whenever he traveled, Sweesy said he would seek recommendations from Rose, who enjoyed deeply researching travel and other topics.

“He was a consummate researcher who would find the interesting, out-of-theway sights and activities that made a trip special,” Sweesy said. “Research combined with his insatiable curiosity was one of (his) many talents.”

Rose’s tech expertise was widely known and respected among his friends and newspaper colleagues, many of whom sought his advice on computer troubles and purchases. He delivered answers with patience and good humor, especially with his technically challenged co-workers. His Twitter bio reflected both his humor and deep online journalism background: “Don’t tell me about online. I was doing online before you were born, you whipper-snapchatter!”

In 2018, Rose moved to Redding to retire, returning to the city where he began his newspaper career 37 years earlier.

He had faced diabetesrelated health problems in recent years, including recurring foot infections. In his 40s, he came down with a flesh-eating bacterial infection during a hospital stay, his sister said. He was being treated for another foot infection when he died.

Rose’s survivors include his son, Ben, and his sister, Erica. Friends plan to hold a memorial service when COVID-19 restrictions allow safe gathering.

karen.kucher@sduniontribune.com