Jimmy Rogers

I have been avoiding personal updates lately, but I think I should post this one.

My maternal grandfather died two weeks ago. Because of my responsibilities here, I decided that I was unable to attend the funeral -- a conclusion I regretted but tried not to think about too much.

My mom sent me a link I would like to post here. Granddaddy's death made the local section of the San Angelo Standard-Times: "Parks director dies: Rogers, water lily visionary passed away Friday." (You can get a username and password at BugMeNot.)

The 34-year parks superintendent, whose drive and vision led to the creation of the International Water Lily Collection and the expansion of the Concho River park system from 19th to Bell streets, died Friday after a decade-long battle with Alzheimer's disease. He was 83.

''He was the best parks director San Angelo ever had,'' said Kenneth Landon, curator of the internationally renowned Civic League Park water-lily collection, one of the last projects Rogers spearheaded before he retired in 1989.

San Angelo may appreciate his water lilies, but I think Granddaddy would rather be remembered for his long service as a Baptist pastor. For my part, I mainly remember his taking me out into his backyard to scatter birdseed; entire flocks of birds knew exactly where to find food when he called.

I will miss him. To adapt Solzhenitsyn slightly:

We had all lived side by side with him and had never understood that he was the righteous one without whom, as the proverb says, no village can stand.

Nor any city.

Nor our whole land.

| Posted by Wilson at 16:03 Central | TrackBack
| Report submitted to the Life Desk