H.C.R. No. 51 HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 1-1 WHEREAS, The passing of Benjamin Joseph Rogers, of Beaumont, 1-2 on December 14, 1994, at the age of 81, has brought a great loss to 1-3 the many friends and relatives of this distinguished Texas 1-4 businessman and philanthropist; and 1-5 WHEREAS, A native of Chicago, Mr. Rogers will be fondly 1-6 remembered as a devoted husband, a loving father, a loyal friend, 1-7 and an upstanding member of his community who demonstrated an 1-8 exemplary concern for the well-being of others; and 1-9 WHEREAS, As a young man, he settled in Beaumont with his 1-10 younger brothers, Sol, Nate, and Victor Rogers, and together they 1-11 established Texas State Optical; and 1-12 WHEREAS, When the brothers later became involved in the 1-13 business of real estate development, Mr. Rogers contributed his 1-14 wealth of knowledge and business acumen as managing partner of 1-15 Rogers Brothers Investments; he helped to lead the Southeast Texas 1-16 community into a period of vibrant growth with the development of 1-17 Gateway Shopping City and Parkdale Mall and also served with 1-18 distinction as president of the Central City Development 1-19 Corporation; and 1-20 WHEREAS, A man of many interests and talents, he also 1-21 contributed his invaluable expertise to the banking industry and 1-22 offered wise and thoughtful guidance as an organizer and director 1-23 of First City Bank-Gateway, San Jacinto Savings, Parkdale Bank, and 1-24 Meyerland Bank, Houston; in recognition of the vast contributions 2-1 he made to the business community in our state, he was inducted 2-2 into the prestigious Texas Business Hall of Fame; and 2-3 WHEREAS, Mr. Rogers continued to work for the betterment of 2-4 the Southeast Texas community through his service as president of 2-5 the Beaumont and Sabine Neches chambers of commerce, the Beaumont 2-6 Music Commission, United Appeals, and the Beaumont Optimist Club; 2-7 in addition, this remarkable gentleman was the founder and 2-8 president of the Joe Louis International Sports Foundation and, in 2-9 1976, helped to raise over one-half million dollars for the 2-10 organization to the benefit of boys' clubs throughout the country; 2-11 and 2-12 WHEREAS, Mr. Rogers was a benefactor of the medical arts as 2-13 well and offered outstanding service to Baptist Hospital of 2-14 Southeast Texas, St. Elizabeth Hospital, and M. D. Anderson 2-15 Hospital and Tumor Institute, which made him a life member in 2-16 recognition of his dedicated service to its board of visitors; and 2-17 WHEREAS, Throughout his distinguished lifetime, he was deeply 2-18 committed to helping others achieve human dignity and find a sense 2-19 of purpose in their lives, and to that end, he worked to establish 2-20 facilities for Boys Haven, a home for delinquent and homeless boys, 2-21 and the Minnie Rogers Juvenile Home, which stands as a proud 2-22 memorial to his mother; moreover, the Ben Rogers/Lamar 2-23 University/Beaumont Public Schools: "I Have a Dream" Program, which 2-24 Mr. Rogers's family established in his honor in 1988, has helped 2-25 numerous at-risk high school students to fulfill their dreams of 2-26 success by providing them with encouragement, mentorship programs, 2-27 and scholarships to Lamar University; and 3-1 WHEREAS, He and his wife Julie dedicated 20 acres of wooded 3-2 parkland to the City of Beaumont and have continued to leave their 3-3 mark on the Southeast Texas community through their support of 3-4 numerous schools, religious and cultural institutions, and health 3-5 care facilities; in recognition of their outstanding service, they 3-6 were honored with the National Conference of Christians and Jews 3-7 Brotherhood Award and the Variety Club of Houston's 1994 3-8 Humanitarians of the Year Award; and 3-9 WHEREAS, Benjamin Joseph Rogers was a man of great vision 3-10 whose remarkable contributions to the quality of life in Southeast 3-11 Texas will continue to have a profound effect on the members of 3-12 that community for generations to come; though his special presence 3-13 will be missed by all who knew him, his unique spirit will surely 3-14 live on in the hearts and minds of the many people whose lives were 3-15 touched by this exceptional gentleman; now, therefore, be it 3-16 RESOLVED, That the 74th Legislature of the State of Texas 3-17 hereby pay tribute to the life of Benjamin Joseph Rogers and extend 3-18 sincere sympathy to the members of his family: to his beloved wife, 3-19 Julie Rogers; to his daughter, Regina Rogers; to his son and 3-20 daughter-in-law, Dr. Arvey Rogers and Susan Rogers; to his 3-21 grandchildren, Scott, Pamela, Stacey, Rob, and Shana Rogers; to 3-22 his sisters, Anne Vaxler and Sara Davis; to his brothers, Sol 3-23 Rogers, Nate Rogers, and Victor Rogers; and to the many other 3-24 friends and relatives of this outstanding Texan; and, be it further 3-25 RESOLVED, That official copies of this resolution be prepared 3-26 for the members of his family and that when the Texas House of 3-27 Representatives and Senate adjourn this day, they do so in memory 4-1 of Benjamin Joseph Rogers.