McMath was given the nickname Ginger, which was based on a cousin’s failed attempts to pronounce Virginia. Her parents divorced when she was still an infant, and she was raised by her mother, Lela Owens McMath. In 1920 Lela married John Rogers, and Ginger took his last name. She began her career, which was carefully orchestrated by her mother, performing in local shows in Texas while she was still a child. She then appeared with Eddie Foy’s vaudeville troupe before winning a Charleston contest at age 15. That success ultimately led her to the Broadway stage in 1929, when she performed in