The Rogers History Club met on Sept. 16, 2021, at the Rogers Historical Museum for a program jointly sponsored by the museum and the Friends of the Rogers Historical Museum. The program, "School Days in Rogers," consisted of speakers Bob Ross, Bonnie Deason, Mayor Greg Hines and Sue Fleming. The participants related their fond memories of school days in Rogers from the 1950s through the 1970s. The large audience was welcomed by Friends Board President, Sandy Chalmers, who taught school in Rogers for several decades until she retired. The introduction was by Karen Russell Burks, who attended and graduated from Rogers High School. Her family were prominent business leaders who owned Russell s Five & Dime, the Hillcrest Motel, and other ventures.
Last month the Remembering Rogers column featured Grace Hill, an educator who began teaching in 1946 and continued until she retired from the Rogers school system in 1981. Hill spoke to the Rogers History Club on May 19, 2011, and was introduced by one of her former students, John Wayne Ford. She told about her childhood in Kansas, how she became a teacher in Springdale, and fell in love with a man from Rogers. Hill recalled how Birch Kirksey hired her in 1946 as a sixth-grade teacher at Central Ward Elementary, and then teaching at the new Southside Elementary in 1951. Here is the rest of her talk, edited for clarity and space:
In conjunction with the start of the new school year, the Rogers Historical Museum has a "Back to School" exhibit (Aug. 27-Oct. 29) that looks at ways families prepared for their children to go to school at the turn of the 20th century, told via guided tours of the 1895 Hawkins House. This exhibit inspired me to review the memories of Grace Hill, an educator who began teaching in 1946 and continued until she retired from the Rogers school system in 1981. Hill spoke at the Rogers History Club on May 19, 2011, and recounted flawlessly the history and expansion of Rogers schools during her lifetime. All of the meetings of the Rogers History Club from its beginning until today were audio recorded by the museum. I listened to her amazing memories and thought how fortunate we were to have this living encyclopedia of information about our schools. Hill was introduced by one of her former students, John Wayne Ford. Here are excerpts from that talk:
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: