Why I Give: James F. Rogers and His Legacy of Paying it Forward Through Education
Investing in the higher education of disadvantaged students “is simply the right thing to do.”
James F. Rogers understands the profound value of paying it forward. The support of a community member paved the way for his father to become the first in the family to attend college, marking the beginning of a new generation in higher education. This awareness has fostered a practice of giving for Rogers and his wife, Kate E. Van Buskirk Rogers, with UNCF as one of their beneficiaries.
Rogers’s first exposure to UNCF came through the famous “A mind is a terrible thing to waste”® ads he watched during summer visits to his grandmother, who owned the only color TV in town. He found the UNCF motto to be “absolutely spot on. It was a very memorable line—not only memorable, but it resonates. People look at that and think, you know what, that’s really true.”
The UNCF motto resonated with the future marketer for many reasons. Rogers, who served as vice president of marketing at Lincoln Mercury before his retirement, was fascinated with understanding human attitudes and behaviors. His interest was sparked by his father’s work as a financial representative for Chrysler Corporation in Detroit. Growing up, he heard his father strategizing about new car releases, which ignited his interest in marketing—a passion that deepened during his time at Dartmouth College. He found his marketing classes particularly engaging, as he was fascinated with understanding why people think and act the way they do. He explains, “This understanding is fundamental for a marketing person. If you’re trying to generate business, you want to know what the attitudes are and why those attitudes exist. You need to understand behavior and help the business figure out how to make money.”
Reflecting on his own experiences, Rogers acknowledges the importance of opportunity in education, sharing a personal story about his father, who almost had “his mind wasted,” he said, due to family circumstances. Fortunately, a local minister stepped in to push him in the right direction. “He saw the potential in my dad, helped him get into a feeder school for Northwestern in Evanston, assisted him in finding a place to live and a job, and even drove him up there to give him a start. Isn’t that amazing?”
As a donor to UNCF for more than 10 years, the echo of “A mind is a terrible thing to waste”® continues to resonate with Rogers. He reflects on how many minds have likely gone untapped due to lack of resources. “You wonder, how many Albert Einsteins never had a chance, right? If we can help people achieve their potential—which is what I think we all ought to be trying to do—that’s great.”
Rogers’s commitment to paying it forward is exemplified through his sponsorship of a scholarship at the very same church where the minister who helped his father served. In addition, he generously donates to a college program serving Native American students and supports several colleges in Kentucky. “It’s just so rewarding. And, you know, we’ve been economically blessed, so I’m particularly happy that we’re able to do that.”
He also supports his local community in Connecticut, observing that the quality of education in more affluent schools is vastly different from that in a nearby school with a more ethnically diverse population.
“Schools are not what they ought to be. I look at that and think, this is wrong—just plain wrong. So I’m trying to help those schools, because it’s just wrong,” he said. Rogers hopes to see an educational future where higher education is viewed as more than just a pathway to the job market. He believes that college can offer much more: “I’m hoping that higher education can prepare people for careers, but also for life—in the sense of becoming good citizens, contributing members of society, while also helping them secure a good job.”
Rogers understands that proper resources are part of the key for students to get to and through college successfully. “My parents had decent money. I wasn’t going to starve to death,” he said. “I didn’t have to work when I was in college, so I could focus on those kinds of things. And maybe if you’re in a different situation, it’s harder to do that, a lot harder to do that.”
He recognizes the critical role of generous donors who help offset the challenges faced by students from less privileged backgrounds. “By donating, what we do is not only allow people to get an education, but to focus on that education as opposed to other things they might have to do, and really get the highest benefit out of the education,” he explained.
Rogers’s advice to potential donors is straightforward: “Give. Stop thinking about it, just give.” He adds, “[UNCF] has a great reputation; nobody believes the money [donated to it] is being wasted. If [you] pay attention or read history, you realize that the African American community has been disadvantaged in many ways. So giving those individuals a chance, I believe, is really our duty.”
James F. Rogers exemplifies the spirit of giving, driven by a deep understanding of the transformative power of education. His commitment to supporting disadvantaged students not only honors his father’s legacy, but also paves the way for future generations to thrive. And that kind of belief and giving attitude is how we ensure better futures for us all.
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