For Jack Rogers, students, ‘Art is fun’

World War II veteran Jack Rogers and his wife, Fran, recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. But Rogers isn’t sitting at home resting on his laurels. The work ethic he learned as a young man still guides his life.

In 1943, while the world was at war, 19-year-old Rogers enlisted in the Army. He was assigned to the amphibious engineers unit and spent three years on active duty, two of them in the South Pacific.

“Our whole company was made up of kids – kids dressed up as soldiers,” he said.

His unit was the first one back into Manila, Philippines, after Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s famous landing. They were torpedoed by subs and shot at by kamikazes. One night remains vivid in Rogers’ mind. They were anchored in an inlet in northern Luzon. It was late at night, and Rogers leaned against a 50-caliber machine gun and gazed at the stars. Suddenly the unmistakable drone of a plane filled the night.

A Japanese bomber, flying under the radar, approached. “I looked into the eyes of the tail gunner, and he looked at me,” Rogers said. The plane sped on its way, leaving him to ponder his brush with fate.

Rogers returned to civilian life, married Fran, whom he’d met on a blind date, and began a career as a commercial artist.

After many years in advertising he was invited to start the art department at Spokane Community College. He spent 26 years with the Community Colleges of Spokane, teaching watercolor. “I was a bad student in school, but I could always draw,” he said.

Ten years ago, instead of retiring like most of his contemporaries, he began teaching art to elementary students at Northwest Christian School. He started a recent class by having his group of first-graders say in unison with him, “Art is fun!”

The students then picked up their colored pencils and got to work. When they completed their drawings, they were invited to show their work to the rest of the class. Rogers led the children in saying, “Oooh, ahhh…” as the fledging artists displayed their drawings.

Ray Ricks, principal of NWC Elementary, said, “Mr. Rogers has a passion for art and to see kids develop a love for it. He brings a lot to our kids.”

Rogers, a founding member of the Spokane Watercolor Society, still shows his work in area galleries, and several of his paintings are on display at the North Spokane County Library.

Other interests also keep him on the run – literally. He’s part of an elite group in Spokane. He has run in every Bloomsday race – 30 in all.

As he reflected on his military service, he sees few parallels between the war he fought and the one our country’s currently engaged in.

“It was a different time,” he said. “I admire our service people for trying, but I think we should bring them home.”

As Rogers bustles around his classroom, encouraging his students, it’s easy to see why this generation has been labeled, “The Greatest Generation.”

“I don’t plan to retire,” he said. “I’d feel frustrated if I didn’t accomplish something every day.”