Rose Cosentino

Rosie and I first met at an Astrological lecture I was giving in St. Charles, Missouri in 1974. As I recall, she and her father, Tino, were sitting in the front row and were enthusiastic and very attentive. After I finished she and her father were introduced to me and we became friends, almost immediately. I was struck by her dynamic personality and also by Tino's devotion to her. I had no contact with Sicilian people prior to that meeting and in the coming months I was to learn the volatile, passionate and irrepressible nature of this family.

Tino and Rosie were cosmeticians by profession and had competed in the World Series of Hairdressing on a regular basis. They were avid astrologers and interested Metaphysicians as well. Rosie and Tino had studied astrology with the renowned Charles Luntz and were avid students and practitioners. I was flattered that they were interested in my ideas and lectures and we soon were studying together and planning to lecture at the National Astrology conventions, which were popping up all over the mid-west in the early Seventies.

Rosie was very well organized and the early astrological Association of St. Louis benefited by her driving presence. She was the founder and first president of that organization. On Nov. 7-9, 1975, and June 25-28, 1976, Rosie's organization put on two conferences that I participated in and they were both very successful teaching experiences; for the public as well as the participants.

It was at the NASO Conference of 1976 that Marc Edmund Jones and Dane Rudhyar came and lectured together. This bringing together of two of the most influential Astrological thinkers of the times was a wonderful coup for Rosie.

Equally as powerful on the bill was Manik Chand Jain of India on his first American lecture tour. He was the editor of Fate and Destiny, a monthly astrological journal; Cyrus D. Abayakoon then residing in London, England, Dr. Chandrasshekhar G. Thakkur, noted Astrologer and ayurvedic medicinal practitioner, Doris Hebel, Fritz Reider, Mary Vohryzek, Dr. James Williamson and the executive secretary of the National Astrological Society, Henry Weingarten. Rosie spoke and taught as well and many of us donated our time and services to help her bring this great event off, without a hitch. Well, with only a few minor glitches.

I recall one incident that happened just before the convention, which may give you just a small example of Rosie's courage in the face of a possible life-threatening situation. I had moved from St. Louis to Berkeley, California by 1976 and Rosie had flown me in to help with the million little jobs that have to be done in advance of these affairs. Being a former employee of KXOK radio and a decent public speaker, Rosie was using my influence to help promote the conference. She and I were interviewed on KXOK radio located in the financial district of Clayton at 7777 Bonhomme just across the street from the Colony Hotel where the NASO Conference was to be held.

She was dressed to the nines in a bright green jump suit (with her flaming red hair) and I was dressed in a pale yellow denim jeans walking suit. We were coming up out of the underground parking garage, arm and arm, laughing at something that had happened on the way in from Florissant when a man with a pistol accosted us. It seems that a robbery was reported in the gift shop of the Colony Hotel across the street and the man with the drawn pistol was a Clayton detective who thought that Rosie and I fit the description of the couple that supposedly pulled off the heist.

There we stood, this gorgeous flaming red head in a lime green jumpsuit and this pierced eared, long haired, Canary yellow denims radiating in the twilight, Disc Jockey standing out like nudists who had just stumbled into a Baptist Convention. This officer of the law was out of his mind. " Turn around, put your hands up, and don't move."

I was incredulous, and as I spun around I saw the look of horror in Rosie's eyes and knew that this was no joke. Rosie started to say something but he cut her off and that pissed me off, so I decided to mess with his mind even though he had his service revolver pointed right at my nose and his badge flapping almost in her face. I looked him right in the eyes and queried, "What the hell is this, Barney, a stick-up?" I looked away and directly into Rosie's eyes and winked.

The look of horror in Rosie's eyes changed into one of panic. She knew me too well and had always said that my self-destructive streak (a Scorpio Rising temperament coupled with a stubborn Taurus moon) was going to get us in trouble one of these days. Barney Fife was highly insulted at my remark and was haranguing me about the fact that I didn't put my hands in the air right away.

Thinking fast, Rosie looked past the man and spotted the manager of the Colony Hotel and a group of police officers across the street on the front steps of said hotel and proceeded to wave and screech at the top of her high and usually soft voice," Mister So and So oh Mister so and So, It's Rose Cosentino and I think you had better come over here right away and clear this up. There is a terrible mistake that is about to happen."

And without a warning she bolted from the front of the 7's building and ran past Barney Fife to the curb to attract Mister So and So's attention. The detective was in a balls to balls confrontation with me, at that second, trying to get me to put my hands up in the air and just as he spun around to cover her movement his eye caught his chief and Mister So and So running across the street to meet Rosie, at the curb.

The chief just happened to be a listener of mine when I was on the air and recognized me immediately. I looked past the detective and addressed him as he walked up toward the man. " Hey Chief, tell Barney here to put up his gun before he wastes his only bullet on an innocent man!"

The look on Rosie's face telegraphed her feeling that I was pushing the envelope a little too far and the chief (In his usual diplomatic style) laughingly replied, " Hey Mason (Mason Lee Dixon is my stage name to this day) that sarcastic mouth of yours is going to get you shot one of these days! " Rosie went on to smooth things over in her usual take charge of the scene way and what almost ended up in an embarrassing pre-convention disaster became a humorous sidelight to the very hard work of putting together a successful national astrological convention.

Rose Cosentino was and is my friend. She was dynamic, intelligent, attractive and awake. That's a rare combination. Her high-powered Aries/Scorpio persona attracted friends and enemies alike and through it all she maintained an air of innocent naïveté that endeared her to her friends and probably irritated her detractors. There was a part of Rose that was as pure as the driven snow and untouched by the world. I know that she maintained that part of herself up to her death. She was a special soul and I know that her family misses her, dearly.

BIRTH AND DEATH INFORMATION:

Birth: 11/11/46

Death: June 14, 1995

TRIBUTES:

She died June 14, 1995 I will call her son Ben for the time of day and locations.  She was my best friend and teacher as I said and I took her place and helped raise Ben he is now doing private astrology readings and tarot readings, but he became a carpenter also.  I am so proud of him.   

Love your best friend,

Linda Humphries

Metaphysican, Clairvoyant, Astrologer, Palmreader, Artist, and Teacher

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CREDITS: The studio portrait was contributed by David Wakinya-Ska Bratcher and the small photo is from Kathy Kreshock's collection. The background is from Pat Hedden. This memorial was created by Donna Cunningham of Word of Mouth Web Design.