Wiss Sponsored: Pride of Newark Rose

1966 was the 300th Anniversary of Newark. It appears that Military Park was relandscaped. See below picture. See History of The Park. To contribute to the celebration, J. Wiss & Sons paid to have a rose developed and planted in the Park at the base of the Kennedy statue.

A mention of the rose I found on the web: HelpMeFind: Roses, Clematis and Peonies and ...


From Kathy Crosby at the BBG Library (11/25/2015):

Brooklyn Botanic Garden does not have a Rosa 'Pride of Newark' in our collection.

Based on the link you provided to "Help Me Find", the parentage of 'Pride of Newark' is Joanna Hill and The Fairy.

There is a mention of Pride of Newark in the following article in relation to hybridization of 'The Fairy' by Dennison Morey in a publication by the Heritage Rose Group; further information about the rose, however, is not provided. The article, Faux Kin, by Jim Delahanty, begins on page 19. The mention of Pride of Newark appears on page 25. Rose Letter: Heritage Roses Group

'Pride of Newark' does not appear to be available from nurseries anymore.

You may be interested in the information below:

The 'Pride of Newark' is listed in Thomas Cairns, Editor, Modern Roses 10: The Comprehensive List of Roses of Historical and Botanical Importance including All Modern International Rose Registrations. Shreveport, Louisiana: The American Rose Society, 1993, page 470, as follows:

"Pride of Newark F, lp [floribunda, light pink] 1966, Joanna Hill x The Fairy; Morey; Country Garden Nursery. Flowers shell-pink, dbl., cupped, large (4 in); very fragrant; foliage glossy, bronze, leathery; very vigorous, upright, compact growth. [n.b. Dennison Morey was the hybridizer]"

Goldstein, Harold S., Editor, American Rose Annual 1971. Columbus, OH: American Rose Society, 1971.

In the section, "Proof of the Pudding" where results found by test growers of the newer roses are lists, Pride of Newark got a rating of 6.8 (on a scale of 10 to 1). The test growers liked the plant but found it susceptible to black spot.


The Kennedy statue is a bust of John F. Kennedy by Jacques Lipchitz that was erected in 1965. See picture on Monuments Page, which includes the current base plantings. This is located at the far west of the park in the acute corner, in the far distance in the below photo. The Wiss Building can be seen at the right.

Military Park in 1966 (based on the movie being shown at the Loew's). [Picture from the Newark Public Library.]

Military Park 1966