Recently, I asked Pat Harris for an interview and he graciously accepted. Pat was born during World War II and he grew up in the era in which Rogers grew from a little town of 3,500 citizens to a major business and industrial center.
My dentist, Dr. Shawn Lee, is a great lover of Rogers and its history. Recently, he shared a box of old Rogers Daily News newspapers that had been preserved by his family, some going back to 1927. As I examined each page, the year 1956, the 75th anniversary of Rogers, stood out as very interesting. Here are some glimpses of life in Rogers from that year with excerpts from the Diamond Jubilee special edition of the Rogers Daily News:
At the Feb. 17, 2011, meeting of the Rogers History Club, I introduced Jack Garner as speaker. Jack had a long and distinguished career in Rogers, beginning in the grocery business with many years in the building trade as a developer and successful business leader in the lumber and hardware business. At the time, he owned Garner Building Supply in Rogers. Here are excerpts from his fascinating story of early Rogers:
At the Feb. 17, 2011, meeting of the Rogers History Club, I introduced Jack Garner as speaker. Jack had a long and distinguished career in Rogers, beginning in the grocery business with many years in the building trade as a developer and successful business leader in the lumber and hardware business. At the time, he owned Garner Building Supply in Rogers. Here are excerpts from his fascinating story of early Rogers:
Last month I wrote about the origin and early speakers at the Rogers History Club. There was a great response to these individual memories of early Rogers. Every person experiences events from a unique perspective, and it is enlightening and entertaining to hear their stories. This column features two speakers from families that had a great positive influence on the development of Rogers.