John M. Rosenburg, 92, retired telephone executive

John M. Rosenburg, 92, of Newtown Square, a retired Bell Telephone executive and author of books for young readers, died Friday, June 25, at Prospect Park Nursing Home.

Mr. Rosenburg grew up on Long Island, N.Y. After earning a bachelor's degree from Ithaca College in New York, he coached baseball, basketball, and football at a Brooklyn settlement house.

He was a sportswriter for United Press International in the 1940s. He told a Philadelphia Daily News reporter in 1968 that his most interesting and enduring assignment for UPI was creating a 15 minute mini-drama for radio called The Greatest Moments in Sports, which he wrote from old newspaper clippings.

Mr. Rosenburg joined the public relations department of AT&T in New York in 1951. He became head of the news bureau for Bell Telephone of Pennsylvania in 1962 and eventually was Bell's director of communications and public relations.

In his free time, Mr. Rosenburg wrote books and plays. His first book, Baseball for Boys, was published in 1961. He also wrote Basic Baseball and, in 1962, The Story of Baseball. He spent three years researching information for the 184-page history with photo illustrations, which was geared to young readers.

After retiring from Bell in the late 1980s, Mr. Rosenburg contributed to national magazines and continued to publish books. They Gave Us Baseball was published in 1989, and he later published a series of fictional biographies for young people.

The series included three books about George Washington; the book, William Parker: Rebel Without Rights, about a former slave, and Alexander Hamilton: America's Bold Lion.

Until moving to White Horse Village retirement community 10 years ago, Mr. Rosenburg lived on a three-acre property in Malvern, where he enjoyed gardening, especially growing roses. He rode his own horse until he was 75 and always had several English setters, his daughter Hennie Chamberlain said. He was a past president of the English Setter Club and last month was inducted into the English Setter Club of America's Hall of Fame. He had an impressive wine collection, which he shared with his many friends, his daughter said.

In addition to his daughter, Mr. Rosenburg is survived by his wife, Rosemarie Rosenburg; another daughter, Gerry Wahlers; a son, Jay; five grandchildren; and 14 great-grandchildren.

Services were private.