George E. Rogers

1928 - 2013

George E. Rogers

George E. Rogers, age 85, of 1032 Ridge Road, Stevens Point passed away on November 4, 2013.

George was a retired editor of the Stevens Point Journal and one of the founders of the Portage County Gazette.

He was born on August 17, 1928, in Stevens Point to Guy W. and Kathryn (Glennon) Rogers. He attended St. Stephen School, P.J. Jacobs High School, UW-Stevens Point and UW-Madison.

He joined the Stevens Point Journal in 1948 and was a reporter and managing editor. In 1982, he became editor. He retired in 1988 but continued to write an outdoor column for the Journal until the newspaper was sold in 1997. Starting in July 1999, he was a contributing writer and outdoor columnist for the Gazette.

In 2012, Cornerstone Press at UW-Stevens Point published his book, "Among the Leaves" a collection of outdoor essays. Previously, he and Judy Anderson had co-published "For the love of Postcards," a book based on the postcard collection of Judy's late husband, John Anderson. He edited a history of St. Stanislaus Catholic Parish.

He was a former president of the Wisconsin Associated Press and was a member of the Wisconsin Newspaper Hall of Fame. With Ray Nass, he was co-chairman of the fund drive that helped construct the Charles M. White Library, and he was president of the Library Foundation.

He was married on December 30, 1950 at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, Cadott, WI to the former Jeanette Maurer, who survives. Also surviving is a son, James of Milwaukee; a daughter, Jane of Portland, Oregon; and a sister, Margaret (the late Roy) Menzel.

Preceding him in death were his parents and two sisters, Janette (Harold) Larson and Louise Fisher.

George was a veteran of the Korean War. He served in the US Army in 1951 and 1952; mostly in Japan with the 40th AAA Brigade.

He was involved in environmental activities and was president of the former Plover River Alliance, a founding member of the Green Circle Committee, a member of the Aldo Leopold Audobon Society and the Frank Hornberg Chapter of Trout Unlimited.

With Kathy Powell, he was a founder of the Portage County Land Preservation Committee, whose goal was the preservation of open space.

He was the recipient of awards from the Wisconsin Academy of Arts, Sciences and Letters, the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point College of Natural Resources, the Bill Cook Chapter of the Izaak Walton League, the Wisconsin Associated Press, the Wisconsin Newspaper Association, the River Alliance of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Chapter of the Soil and Water Conservation Society, St. Michael's Foundation, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation and the Daughters of the American Revolution.

A Funeral Mass will be held 10:30 a.m., Saturday, November 9, 2013 at St. Stanislaus Catholic Church, with his nephew, Rev. William Menzel officiating. Visitation will also be held at the church on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. until the time of service.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Green Circle Trail or the Environment Mission Fund of the Community Foundation. Online condolences may be made at www.bostonfuneralhome.net.