He was born on November 30, 1909, in
Boston, Massachusetts. He was educated at
Boston Latin School and
Northeastern University. As a businessman, Rogers worked for or ran many industrial firms, including
Cummins Diesel Engine and
Indian Motorcycles. In 1950, he started work with
Texas Industries in
Dallas and by 1951 he was chairman of the board, president, and chief executive officer of this company. It became a Fortune 500 company with many interests but remains focused on cement production. Rogers became civically and politically active in the 1960s. In 1972, he is credited with saving the
Public Broadcasting Service during the
Nixon Administration. As chairman of PBS (1973-1979) he organized more than 200 independent stations into a national television system. He later co-founded the
Children's Television Workshop, and became a significant philanthropist, primarily in the
Dallas area. He died on November 4, 1997. == Awards and honors ==