A prominent Washington journalist, who began his career at the St. Petersburg Times , died Sunday (Jan. 8, 2006) after being beaten and robbed while taking an after-dinner walk in his quiet Washington neighborhood, police and friends say.
David E. Rosenbaum, 63, who has been a member of the New York Times Washington bureau for more than 30 years, was attacked Friday night on Gramercy Street NW.
Mr. Rosenbaum underwent surgery at Howard University Hospital to try to relieve pressure on his brain, said his brother, Marcus Rosenbaum.
A graduate of Plant High School, Mr. Rosenbaum grew up in South Tampa. He worked for the St. Petersburg Times for a few summers in the early '60s while he attended Dartmouth College, his brother said, and returned full time for a year after graduation.
Washington police Sgt. Joe Gentile said Mr. Rosenbaum's wallet was missing when police arrived at the scene.
Marcus Rosenbaum also said a credit card company had called his brother's home Saturday morning and said someone had been trying to use his credit card.
Aside from three years at the New York Times' headquarters in New York, Mr. Rosenbaum had been a member of the Washington bureau for his entire career, his brother said.
Robin Toner, a bureau colleague, said Mr. Rosenbaum's assignments included that of chief economics correspondent and several editing posts. He shared the 1990 George Polk Award for national reporting for coverage of the federal budget. Toner called him "a terrific reporter and a great human being."
Mr. Rosenbaum is survived by his wife, Virginia; their two children, Dorothy Rosenbaum and Daniel Rosenbaum; and twin granddaughters, Amanda and Rachel Halliday.
--Information from the Washington Post and Times staff writer Tamara El-Khoury was used in this report.
