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Verne R. Rogers
1924 - 1999
There are those who dream
of better times and are willing to sacrifice and work for them. And
when they achieve their dreams through dedication and perseverance
they share its fruits with others.
Verne Rogers was one of
these. He grew up in Texas, mainly San Antonio, during the Great
Depression. Although of very modest means, his parents, Elmer & Floy
Rogers, instilled in him and his three brothers character traits--
integrity, self-discipline, devotion to family--that served them well
throughout their lives.
As the adage goes, Verne
Rogers pulled himself up by his own bootstraps. He held part-time jobs
throughout most of his academic years. After graduating from high
school at age 15, he enrolled at the University of Texas at Austin.
His studies were
interrupted by World War II, during which he served as a naval officer
from 1942 to 1946. He then re-enrolled at the university, graduating
with highest honors in 1947 with a bachelor’s degree in business
administration. He then passed the examination for certification as a
public accountant. He later obtained a master’s degree in business
administration, again at UT, and attended Harvard’s Graduate School of
Business Administration.
In 1948 he accepted a
position as an assistant controller with Humble Oil Co. in Houston.
After Humble was acquired by Exxon he was transferred to its home
office in New York City where he eventually became controller for
Exxon’s Middle East operations.
In 1961, when the dam for
Greer’s Ferry Lake was under construction, he and his long-time
friend, Victor C. Gates, bought 75 acres of what would become mostly
water frontage. Their purpose was to build a retirement home for
themselves, surrounded by the peace and quiet of nature's wonders
where they could indulge their hobbies of fishing and gardening.
The location of their
future home required them to build, at their expense, a mile-long road
with buried utility lines. They jokingly called it the Rogers-Gates
expressway. All was finally completed in 1989 and they moved into it
as their final retirement home.
The Foundation
After Verne’s death in
1999, Victor established the Gates-Rogers Foundation to create a
nature preserve as they had often talked of doing, funding it with
monies from their estates and bequeathing 65 of the 75 acres to the
Foundation upon Victor’s death in 2004.
There are those who dream
of better times. Verne and Victor did and after fulfilling their
dreams through hard work they left a legacy that will be enjoyed for
ages by those who appreciate the natural beauty of this land.
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