Richard Rogers

Profile Updated: June 23, 2016
Residing In DeLand, FL USA
Spouse/Partner Mary Anne Sale Rogers
Occupation Theatre/Film Professor
Children Brendan born 1983
Ryan born 1987
Comments

U. of L.
F.S.U.
UCLA
Stage Crew, Acting, Directing: Television Jacksonville, FL
DGA Asst. Director Episodic, MOW's, Pilots, and Features L.A., Hawaii & Florida
Screenwriter - "The First of May"
Director - Death Row - True Story"
Producer - "Night Club, America"
Teaching at Jacksonville University and Lake-Sumter State College

School Story

The wildest day I ever had at WHS was in Mr. C.A. "Flash" Gordon's Physics Class. On this particular day, Mr. Gordon walked in looking like he was dragging a ball and chain. "Man, I don't feel so strong," he said. "I think I left my joules at home." That was a clever pun - I guess - in that joules is a unit of energy in physics, but of course the class took the word in the more vulgar meaning of its homonym i.e. "jewels." Comments included "Whoa, Mr. Gordon, no wonder you feel bad. You left your jewels at home. Must hurt pretty bad" It took some time to get the class calmed down. We sat at a series of tables with three students seated at each all on the same side of the table facing the black board and Mr. Gordon. In front and to the left side of the class room Jim Gray, and Wayne and Wynn Westerman shared a table. I guess they must all have leaned back a bit too far. As Mr. Gordon was about to reveal a major secret of the universe, one by one, like dominoes, Jim, Wayne, and Wynn feel backwards - ass over tea-kettle. It was the greatest comic bit of slapstick I had ever seen and a very apt illustration of the Law of Gravity as well. The class erupted once again. Luckily Jim and the twins were okay, but it took a good ten minutes for Mr. Gordon to stop resembling Donald Duck on crack . For some reason finally Mr. Gordon calmed down and singled me out "Mr. Rogers do you intend to go to college?" I said I hoped so. He said "In what subject do you plan to major?" I said I had been thinking of Physics, but I'm not so sure now." That was it. Mr. Gordon gave up.

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Posted on: Aug 18, 2016 at 8:56 AM

Hi Nancy Belle.
If anyone remembered me at all it would be by my middle name - Gary. I remember you from Miss Miller's class, the teacher who changed my life. You and the drama group did Dylan Thomas' "Under Milkwood." I was a big Bob Dylan fan back then and now still, and when I read Dylan got his last name from Dylan Thomas I was hooked. Your were great in that and I'm so sorry I didn't know and didn't follow your career. I only cared about flying back at WHS and I remember running into you once with another Waggenerite on campus at U of L. about the time I learned I my old eye injury would keep me out of the USAF and flying. I joined VISTA and was trained as a community organizer by Saul Alenski's folks. I got kicked out of OK, and Texas for being an "outside agitator." and decided to become a writer. I loved Shakespeare from the time when the Carriage House Players did "Shrew" for us on the Waggener Gym Floor. I heard that company later became the beginnings of Actor's Theatre. Anyway I thought, hey Shakes was an actor first, I'll give it a try. At FSU the only paths that opened for me were Mime and Children's theatre. I also studied mime, with Claude Kipnis at the University of Ill. Robin Williams had been in his troop but not when I was there. Goodness Gracious Mime was hot then, but I went to the Asolo Rep. in Sarasota, and got my 50 weeks in to get my AE card and starved in NYC mostly, toured in "Godspell" and did Equity dinner theatre but best of all got to tour Shrew as Pettruccio (shamelessly modeled after Marc Singer's Petruccio at your ACT). Next four years did a live daily live kid's show in the Jacksonville, FL market while doing the on-air wrap-a-rounds for the really bad horror movies on Saturday night. Got married to my wonderful MA and when Brendan was on the way realized I needed to get serious about making some $. I got in the DGA Trainee Program which took me back to LA., Worked as an AD for eight years in LA/Hawaii returned to FL when they build the sound stages at Universal and Disney. Wrote, produced and directed one children's feature starring the great Julie Harris, a one hour special, and something called "Night-club America" which went no-where at all. I always wanted to teach so I teach Acting, Film and Writing at our little college.
I was so glad to read about the wonderful things you've done. Sorry to go on so long, but I thought it was cool that in some ways we found similar paths. Oh, I'm gonna be a grandpa it looks like in late Jan.
All the best to you.

Oh, Chuck Wingo has gotten us to agree to go to the reunion, so he, his wife, and Mary Anne will be there. It would be great to see you if you can make it.

Gary Rogers
.

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Aug 18, 2016 at 8:10 AM
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Aug 16, 2016 at 4:11 PM

Posted on: Jul 26, 2016 at 8:31 PM

Are you Peck? If you are I guess I did not know you very well in High School, but I remember running into you at the Moratorium to End the War in Washington DC. Nov. 1969. It was a good thing to see you there and I hope I get a chance to see you at the reunion.

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Posted: Jun 23, 2016 at 7:29 AM