Ind. His family moved to Demorest in 1892, and in 1903, at the age of 18, he enrolled at Piedmont College. Rogers earned a bachelor of science degree in 1906 and continued his education at Earlham College, where he received an engineering degree in 1907. In 1927, he graduated from Columbia University with a master of arts degree. Rogers began his career in education at Cayuga College in New York, where he taught mathematics and also served as the basketball coach. In 1909 he returned to Demorest to serve as principal of the Piedmont Academy and Elementary School, which was then part of the college. In 1911 he was named professor of mathematics and also began his 22-year service as dean. In 1934 Rogers served as vice-president and local executive officer of Piedmont. In that same year, Piedmont honored him with an honorary doctorate in education Also in 1934, Rogers was named president of North Georgia College in Dahlonega. During his 15 years there he helped the college grow from a two-year school to a four-year college. In 1949 the state Board of Regents named Rogers president of the University of Georgia during a turbulent time in the university’s history. Coincidentally, during his time as President of the University of Georgia, he lived in the UGA President’s House, which is located across the street from Piedmont’s Rogers Hall. He served just under two years as president until his mandatory retirement at the age of 65 in late 1950. After leaving UGA, Rogers was the director of Tallulah Falls School from 1951 to 1953. He joined the Reinhardt College faculty in 1957 as a math professor and counselor until 1962. He died on Oct. 24, 1967. Rogers Hall in Athens isn’t the first Piedmont building named for Jonathan Clark Rogers, however. In the 1950s, Rog-
ers’ former home in Demorest was converted into a men’s dormitory also known as Rogers Hall. Rogers was of Quaker ancestry and held deep religious convictions and a vision of education for all and at all stages of life. He married Mary Floyd Hamilton Blackshear (’05) and they had three children; Katherine Rogers Williams, Laura Rogers Fortson and Jonathan C. Rogers, Jr. There are several portraits hanging in Rogers Hall, including one of Dr. Rogers that was donated by his family, as were the portraits of his wife; and the Athens artist, Annie Laura Eve Blackshear, who was Mrs. Rogers’ sister and head of the Piedmont College art department for seven years prior to 1905. s
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