John Stratford Rogers

ROGERS-John Stratford. World City America Inc. celebrates the life and work of its Chairman and Chief Executive, John S. Rogers. A visionary, an optimist, a highly intelligent and methodical man, he undertook, starting in 1989, to develop an American-flag cruise ship industry. His vision was an American-built and U.S-flag operated fleet of next generation cruise ships city ships which would seize for the American economy a share of the booming foreign-dominated cruise ship industry. The prototype city-ship, to be named America World City-The Westin Flagship, will accommodate 6,200 guests and will be the world's largest passenger ship by a significant margin. The construction of the city-ship will be a major stimulus for the rebuilding of the hurricane devastated southern tier of the country, creating thousands of jobs and benefiting local economies through community participation programs. For over sixteen years, and with an investment of over $50million, World City America Inc., under Mr. Rogers' leadership, and with the support of hundreds of American corporations who stand to benefit from an American-flag presence in this $16-billion-ayear, foreign-dominated industry, has positioned the United States to enter the market with a superior product, capable of being built in the U.S. at an internationally competitive price, creating thousands of long-term selfsupporting jobs on the ship and ashore, and promising renewed economic prosperity for the coastal communities across the southern tier. For those of us who have worked side-by-side with this wonderful man for so many years, our loss is indescribable; but our purpose is noble and it will be all the more rewarding to accomplish it in his honor.