Lives of Consequence
Henry A. Rosenberg, Jr. ’52, L.H.D.’02
Retired President and CEO, Crown Central Petroleum Corp.
Chairman, Crown Central and Rosemore Inc.
Henry A. Rosenberg Jr. ’52, L.H.D. ’02 has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to excellence as an accomplished business leader, a renowned patron of the Baltimore, Md., community and a dedicated graduate of Hobart College.
Born in Pittsburgh, Pa., Rosenberg graduated from the McDonogh School in Maryland, where he excelled in lacrosse and football. As a student at HWS, Rosenberg majored in economics and was a member of Phi Phi Delta, the Temple Club and Orange Key Society.
An All-America selection two years in a row on the Hobart lacrosse team, Rosenberg served as captain in his senior year and was a 1952 Upstate New York All-Star team selection. The yearbook called him “one of the most colorful performers to wear a Hobart uniform.” He was inducted into the Hobart College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993.
After serving with distinction in the U.S. Army, Rosenberg joined his family’s petroleum company at its Houston refinery in 1954, where he launched his long career in the industry. In his more than five decades with Crown Central Petroleum Corp. in Baltimore, Rosenberg held the positions of chairman of the board, CEO and president. Following his retirement in 2001, he has retained an active position in the industry as chairman of Crown and Rosemore Inc., Crown’s parent family company.
Longtime philanthropists in the Baltimore area, the Rosenberg family established the Henry and Ruth Blaustein Rosenberg Foundation in honor of Henry Rosenberg’s parents. The foundation seeks to improve the human condition by supporting arts and culture, youth development, health, and adult self-sufficiency.
Rosenberg’s many professional and civic honors include his 2002 induction to the Maryland Chamber of Commerce Business Hall of Fame and recognition as 2012 Individual Partner of the Year by the Baltimore National Heritage Area. In 2011, he and his wife Dorothy were named Philanthropists of the Year by the University of Maryland University College, for their gracious support of the Leroy Merritt Center for the Art of Joseph Sheppard and their establishment of the Rosenberg Armed Forces Education Fund. In 2015, Rosenberg was inducted to the Baltimore Jewish Hall of Fame and later that same year was named Industrialist of the Year by the Baltimore Museum of Industry.
In 2017, he was named as an inductee to the Baltimore Sun’s Maryland Business and Civic Hall of Fame. Also in 2017, the Paint and Powder Club honored Rosenberg and his wife for their support of the social and charitable club and the Baltimore-area community.
Rosenberg is a longstanding supporter of his alma mater. Through his generosity, Hobart and William Smith have seen the completion of Rosenberg Hall, a cornerstone of the Colleges’ science programs. Adjacent to Eaton and Lansing halls, the building completes the boundary of the Hobart Quad and houses science classrooms, laboratories and faculty offices. His gifts to the Colleges have also made possible a 200-meter competitive track in the Sport and Recreation Complex.
A member of the Seneca Society, Rosenberg served on the HWS Board of Trustees for more than 20 years and is now an honorary trustee. In recognition of his steadfast commitment to the Hobart and William Smith, Rosenberg was awarded an honorary degree in 2002 and the President’s Medal by President Mark D. Gearan in 2010.