Robert L. “Buck” Rogers ’50, a former flight and aerobatics instructor at Wichita’s University Airport, earned his nickname by virtue of flying a fast plane, a Cessna 195 — so explains his son, Ross, who has followed in his father’s flight paths and is himself a pilot for Southwest Airlines.
Buck Rogers graduated from the University of Wichita with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, but his career focus was always on aircraft and flying. His wide-ranging aviation experiences included flying as a corporate pilot, demonstrating aerial spray planes for Cessna, serving as an aircraft designer and draftsman with extensive work on Cessna single-engine planes and engine installation on Cessna Citation business jets.
In addition, Rogers worked at Learjet, on Air Force One and, at Boeing, was involved with the company’s work in supporting the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) aircraft. He retired as an engineer from Cessna Aircraft Co.
“I know he had many successes as an engineer,” relates long-time friend Ray Rodriguez, a university friend and supporter, “but what impressed me the most about him was how he raised his son after the death of his wife, when Ross was only 6 years old. He gave Ross his first flying lesson — and brought him up to be a great all-around person.”
Robert Rogers died Sept. 1 in Udall, Kan.
