[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 15 (Wednesday, February 25, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H616-H617]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO JULIE ROGERS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Lampson) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, Southeast Texas said good-bye to Julie 
Rogers last week. Julie Rogers, and her late husband, Ben, displayed 
the finest example of citizenship throughout their lives that I have 
ever known.
  ``Extraordinary'' is the only word our language provides us to 
describe the qualities Julie Rogers displayed throughout her 83 years. 
In an era where women were supposed to stand in the background, Julie's 
intelligence and talent stood out. She was born and grew up in Chicago. 
She finished college at age 16 and earned her law degree from DePaul 
University when she was only 19 years old.

[[Page H617]]

  While in Chicago, Julie fell in love with a promising young man named 
Ben Rogers. The couple moved to Texas in 1936 to seek their own portion 
of the American Dream. Through hard work, the Rogers family prospered 
and Julie and Ben Rogers were able to share their love for each other 
with the entire community.
  Julie was a talented violinist and her love of music motivated her to 
promote the fine arts. She helped organize the Beaumont Symphony and 
the Texas Arts Alliance As we laid Julie to rest, two internationally 
acclaimed artists, pianist Van Cliburn and opera singer Roberta Peters 
performed in her honor. The funeral was held in the Julie Rogers 
Theater for the Performing Arts.
  While the lives of the people of Southeast Texas will be greatly 
enriched by the Rogers' promotion of the arts, their love and care for 
the people around them will be their legacy. Julie and Ben Rogers 
established philanthropic entities that helped the less fortunate get a 
college education, receive mammograms and receive needed treatment for 
mental illness.
  Julie and Ben Rogers fought for social justice even when popular 
opinion was against them. They actively supported the Anti-Defamation 
League and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored 
People and the National Conference of Christians and Jews.
  The awards won by Julie Rogers are too numerous to list. She received 
the highest civilian honor from the Salvation Army in 1992, which is 
perhaps the most symbolic recognition of her giving and loving spirit.
  Ben Rogers left us 4 years ago and now, as we say farewell to Julie, 
we can take comfort in the fact that the two of them will be reunited. 
Their legacy of love will live on in the lives of Southeast Texans for 
many generations to come. We are all richer for having known them.

                          ____________________