Surry County-Roanoke City Virginia USGenWeb Archives Obituaries.....Rogers, Frank W., 1982 

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FRANK WATERS ROGERS 

ROANOKE LAWYER FRANK ROGERS SR. DIES 

  Frank Waters Rogers, prominent lawyer, former University of Virginia rector 
and State Bar Association observer at the 1960 U-2 spy trial in Moscow, died 
Saturday at UVa hospital of complications following surgery.

  Dean of the Roanoke bar, he actively practiced law until a few weeks ago as 
senior member of the firm Woods, Rogers, Muse, Walker & Thornton.

  And he was still playing tennis even though he would have celebrated his 
90th birthday Nov. 2.

  He served as the second president of the Roanoke Bar Association in 1926. A 
large number of lawyers turned out in April for a special centennial meeting 
to hear Rogers’ observation about his 68 years of practice.

  In 1938, Rogers was president of the Virginia Bar Association.

  He was appointed to the Board of Visitors of the University of Virginia in 
1962 and was elected rector four years later.  He held that post, equivalent 
to chairman of the board until 1970.

  The university gave him its Raven Award for outstanding service in 1969.

  Rogers and Alex Parker of Richmond were assigned to represent the the 
Virginia Bar Association in seeking the release of American U-2 pilot Francis 
Gary Powers, who was shot down over Russia in 1960.  Rogers attended Powers’ 
trial in Moscow that summer, and briefed the State Department after he 
returned to the United States.

  A native of Surry County and son of a lumberman, Rogers came to Roanoke in 
1914 after his graduation from Episcopal High School in Alexandria and the 
University of Virginia and its law school.

  He had practiced here ever since except for service as a pilot in the U.S. 
Air Service during World War I.

  In 1922, he married the former Anne Jett, daughter of the first bishop of 
the Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia.

  Rogers stressed the importance to him of family life when he was named a 
Father of the Year in 1964.

  Rogers was active in the bond issue campaign for construction of a new 
library here and he was a member of the Roanoke Library Board for 10 years 
starting in 1951.

  In 1971, he chaired a committee of representatives from valley governments 
to study feasibility of a regional courthouse.

  He was president of the Roanoke Symphony Society from 1955-1960 and 
president of the Roanoke Valley Chamber of Commerce in 1941.

  Rogers had been a trustee of the Virginia Foundation of Independent 
Colleges and of Hollins College.  He had served on the boards of First 
National Exchange Bank, Johnson-Carper (now Singer) Furniture Co. and 
Virginia Hot Springs.

  One of his sons, Roanoke Circuit Judge Robert Jett Rogers, died in 1976.

  Besides his wife, Rogers is survived by a son, Frank W. Rogers, Jr., a 
Roanoke lawyer; two daughters, Mrs. Edwin B. Vaden of Lynchburg, and Mrs. A. 
Linwood Holton of McLean.


Frank Waters ROGERS, Roanoke lawyer, former UVA rector, 
WW-I Air Service pilot, 
b. 2 Nov 1892, Surry Co., d. 26 Jun 1982, Charlottesville, 
interred in Evergreen Burial Park*, Roanoke, 
"Roanoke (VA) Times and World News," June 27, 1982 

*Find a Grave Mem. #83988240 

D.Cert. 82-021699 

His mother, Otis (HARRISON; Mrs. Edward) ROGERS {1863-1947} is buried in 
   Blandford Cemetery, Petersburg.  (Find a Grave Mem. #52375457) 


Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by 
Mrs. Bruce Saunders (bs4403@verizon.net), 
and re-formatted by File Manager. 

file at: 
http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/surry/obits/r262f2ob.txt