ORLANDO, Fla. — Harris Rosen’s life and death have had a profound impact on the Central Florida community.

The hotel mogul and philanthropist passed away Monday, Nov. 25, at 85-years-old.

President and CEO of the YMCA in Greater Charleston, Paul Stoney, worked with Rosen in the early 2000s. He said besides being a successful entrepreneur, one factor that set Rosen apart was his generosity.   

What You Need To Know

  • Hotel mogul and philanthropist Harris Rosen passed away at 85 years old

  • The internationally renowned businessman had lasting impacts on many people in the Central Florida community

  • In 1993, Rosen made a difference in the Tangelo Park community by introducing education initiatives to address crime and the significant high school dropout rate

  • A longtime friend of Rosen’s, Paul Stoney, recalls helping the hotel mogul with this program in the early 2000s  

Stoney also used to coach one of Rosen’s sons in basketball. He still remembers when Rosen had asked him to coach his son’s team, the Orlando Wizards.

Stoney said he briefly mentioned that he was a coach in the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), which is a nonprofit organization promoting youth sports and physical fitness.

Given Stoney’s involvement at the YMCA in Tangelo Park, the two not only became friends but they worked together to create lasting change in the community. 

“He recognized the need for the only venue of its type in that community to be available for children to have not just a place to recreate but also to have a place to learn and to see parts of their role models of which they may or may not have seen throughout their community and certainly in their homes,” Stoney said.

The only thing Stoney asked for in return was that they have lunch together every Friday.

He said it was then that he learned the most from the hotelier — from his business acumen to his love of helping people. 

He said the “difference that Rosen made was that he made children in that community recognize that they did not have to stay in those conditions, that they could be the best they could be and move up in the world just by following the educational path and being a good person.”

In the six years that Stoney and his family lived in Orlando, he said the impact of Rosen’s aid in the community was almost immediate, mostly because of his attention to detail and vested interest in the people he served. 

“It was very clear to me that children began taking an interest in school. Rosen began providing incentives to those who finished school,” Stoney expressed.

And a very high percentage of those students finished high school and went off to college.

Stoney said sometimes all it takes to succeed is having an excellent role model. 

“He showed them firsthand as someone from the lower east side of New York what you can be if you put your mind to it,” he said.

Despite not having seen his friend in over a year, Stoney said what matters to him the most is the memory that he preserves of his friend, and Rosen’s ability to make anyone believe they can achieve their dreams.