Albany Colony has lost a truly inspirational member: former Colony Governor James Edwin “Jim” Rogers died on May 12 at the age of 88, after a long illness.
A direct descendant of Mayflower Pilgrim John Alden, Jim was admitted to the membership of the Mayflower Society on May 20, 2005, and he became a valuable leader and remained a faithful attendee for many years.
Jim was the first person to hold the title of “Albany Colony Governor,” since previously, the leadership position title had been “Lieutenant Governor,” and Jim served as the leader for three years.
It was determined that, to be more in synch with the other Colonies, the leader would henceforth more appropriately be “Colony Governor,” and the second in command would be “1st Deputy Colony Governor.”
Clearly, Jim was a dedicated and effective Governor in the role, taking on various tasks with great relish and effectively making changes to the status quo. As he stated in his Colony Governor’s Message in the May 3, 2014 issue of the Chronicles, “Two of my goals were to add: color to the ‘Chronicles’ and more photos to our website, and I’m delighted to say these two goals were achieved through the cooperation of Editor Joyce Musco and Webmaster Karl Danneil respectively.”
He also began recognizing “dedicated and loyal members for their long-time service to Albany Colony . . . with Certificates of Appreciation presented at each meeting.” He moved up the starting time for Colony Luncheon Meetings by a half hour, which benefitted members who had some distance to travel on the trip home. He also campaigned for more members to use email and thus reduce the cost of mailing the Chronicles to the other members.
Jim’s last Luncheon Meeting in the Colony leadership role was May 3, 2014, at which time Dave Morton rose to become Albany Colony Governor.
A long-time resident of Rensselaer, and most recently a resident of North Greenbush, Jim had been a Biology and Chemistry Teacher in the Averill Park Central School District for 30 years, retiring in 1994. He was a member and past president of the Kiwanis Club of Sand Lake and he was also an avid outdoorsman—he was an “Adirondack 46er,” meaning he had “climbed them all!”
His membership longevity and contributions to the Albany Colony and effective leadership thereof are much admired and appreciated. We mourn the loss of this fine individual, and send our deepest condolences to his family and friends. “R.I.P., Jim.”
Sylvia S. Magin, Editor
Mayflower Chronicles