Bill Rogers '43 just celebrated his 88th birthday. He lives in his own home in Naples, FL, with his oldest daughter, Brenda, and her husband.
Bill is a member of what has come to be known as the Greatest Generation. Following his graduation from Tabor in June of 1943, with WWII raging and every able-bodied man joining the service, he entered Dartmouth College. He was part of the V-12 program, an officer training course run by the Navy, similar to NROTC. Given his Tabor maritime background, the Army was never an option.
Within weeks, Bill and several of his V-12 buddies grew restless. The way the story goes, they approached their commanding officer with these words: "The war will be over soon. How can we get into the action?" The only answer the man could give was strictly off the record and probably went something like this: "If you don't show up for next week's mid-term exams, you'll be in the action soon enough." Bill and a friend took this "under the counter" advice and in November 1943, by then a Dartmouth dropout, Bill enlisted in the Navy as a regular sailor.
After basic training, followed by radar school, he was assigned to the USS Hydrus, a brand-new 426' attack cargo ship. In December 1944, Bill and his shipmates set sail and in April of 1945 they participated in the invasion of Okinawa. The history books record the terrors of that engagement, including the harrowing suicide attacks on our naval vessels by kamikaze pilots, but Bill rarely spoke of these things in later life. When the war ended in August, the Hydrus and her crew served briefly in the Japanese occupation effort and then headed home. Bill was honorably discharged in March 1946, a Radarman 3rd class. Among his several decorations was the Bronze Star.
Within a year or two after leaving the Navy he married his neighborhood sweetheart, Marguerite (Daisy) Hodgkins, and, following his dad's lead, went right into the leather business. The companies he founded-- A&B Tanning Company of Norwich, CT, and Norwich Leather Company of Brockton, MA, sold premium leathers for 50 years before finally closing their doors in the early '90s.
Bill, ever a Tabor graduate, always lived near the sea-- first in the Boston area, then on Cape Cod, and finally in southwest Florida. He owned three different boats over the years and unfailingly proved himself an able mariner. These days, he'll gaze out the windows of his bayside condo and look out over the boats on Naples Bay, maybe remembering those many times he was at the helm himself.
Bill has suffered from Alzheimer's disease for several years and it is hard for him now to grasp all the details of his past life and his many career accomplishments, but he still appreciates a warm handshake from old friends. If you're ever in Naples, please stop by and say hello. Brenda and I know it would mean a lot to him.
Phil Johnson
Bill’s son in law
