Entered Earthly Life: April 9,
1907
Religious Profession: August 4, 1929
Entered Eternal
Life: August 28, 1996
RACINE - Sister Rosita Uhen O.P., 89, passed away at St. Catherine's
Infirmary on Wednesday, August 28, 1996.
The former Dorothy Uhen took her vows as
a Racine Dominican on Aug. 4, 1929. She was a well-known educator and community activist in the Racine area. Sr.
Rosita taught English to high school students in several schools, including St. Catherine's High School from 1943 to 1944
and again from 1948 to 1954. In 1954 she was named President of Dominican College, then known as The College of Racine.
She was the President of Dominican College for 14 years.
Elsewhere in Wisconsin Sr.
Rosita taught and was principal at St. Luke's, Plain; St. Benedict's, Milwaukee; and St. John's, Little Chute.
In 1963, Sr. Rosita was named Woman of the Year by the Racine Women's Civic Council and in 1968, President Emeritus
of Dominican College. In 1968, she became the Senior Program Associate for Urban Affairs with the Johnson Foundation.
In 1972, she became the Project Consultant for Criminal Justice with the Johnson Foundation.
In a many-braided life, Sr. Rosita's gift of encouraging and challenging others was a bright strand. Her
students at St. Catherine's High School in Racine knew her as a demanding teacher and year book advisor, but also as a
consoling friend. She recalled, "I loved them more than they knew."
Later
on, as President of Dominican College, she was the force behind much that needed to be carried through by others. This
included prodding building contractors to meet deadlines, supporting faculty members charged with preparing for North Central
accreditation, and supporting with her personal letters and media exposure the fundraising efforts of businessmen on the Board.
Throughout her life, she served on many boards and committees including the board of the Community Action
Program in Racine, the Environment Committee of the Racine Dominican's Justice and Rights Council, the advisory committee
for St. Catherine's High School, and the ad hoc committee for formation of the Wisconsin Association of Community Corrections
Services.
Sr. Rosita retired at Siena Center in 1977, where she had been active
in community service particularly in the area of environment projects. In her retirement years at Siena Center, Sr.
Rosita spread her gospel of "Accentuate the Positive." She had no patience with negative table talk and advised,
"Instead of criticizing, give credit whenever you get the chance." She loved to write, and carried on voluminous
personal correspondence with individuals whom she had met in a professional way, but now regarded as friends.
A second strand in her life was ecology. A poet by nature, Sr. Rosita found solace and inspiration
in the enjoyment of lakes and rivers and trees. Living on the shore of Lake Michigan, she said that the lake's changing
moods frequently reflected her own. She celebrated the changing of the seasons, each with its own beauty. Sr.
Rosita was instrumental in launching the Environment Committee in 1989, and in seeing to it that "saving the earth"
was kept in the community's consciousness, even in such mundane matters as substituting china cups and washable glasses
for styrofoam.
Sister Rosita is survived by one sister, Mrs. Loraine Gannon of Wallingsford,
Conn.; brothers, Rev. Cletus Uhen of Racine, Roman (Loraine) of Burlington, Victor (Donna) of Hot Springs Village, Ark., Donald
(Dolores) of Burlington, and Richard (Jeanette) of Fort Wayne, Ind.; nieces and nephews.
The Mass
of Christian Burial will be celebrated at Siena Center Chapel on Friday, August 30, 1996, at 7:30 PM with Fr. Cletus Uhen
presiding. Interment will take place at Holy Cross Cemetery, Highway 32. Visitation will be at Siena Center from
4 p.m. on Friday until the time for the liturgy. Interment will take place at Holy Cross Cemetery. Please omit
flowers. Memorials to the Racine Dominican Ministry Fund have been suggested.
MARESH-MEREDITH FUNERAL
HOME, 803 Main Street, Racine, WI. 634-7888
