TREASURE, LEE THOMAS, ALICE & BONNIE ROGERS
Treasure Haywood Rogers
Position Held
Dining Car Chef, Cook
Railroad Line Illinois Central
Trains
City of Miami, City of New Orleans Panama Limited
Routes
Fulton to Chicago, Chicago to Miami, New Orleans
Lived in South Fulton KY, Gary IN and
Chicago IL while working on the railroad.
Home Town
Martin, TN
Years Worked
1937 – 1972
dob 12/11/20
Treasure Haywood Rogers, Sr. was a Chef with the Illinois Central Dining Car Service. He retired in 1972 after 35 years of service. While working for the railroad, he lived in Fulton KY and Chicago IL and worked runs from as far north as Chicago and as far south as New Orleans and Miami; and east- west trains as well.
His primary trains were: the City of New Orleans, City of Miami, Panama Limited, and the Seminole among others. A stoic man who did not socialize much, Mr. Roger’s excellence as a chef was renown and the exceptional speed of his cooking so reveled that he was frequently given special assignments such as troop trains during the war. He was born December 11, 1920, in Martin, TN, the second of five children to Bonnie and Annie Ruth. Kennedy Rogers. He was married for 51 years to Constance V. Hopkins Rogers and they were the proud parents of: Connie H. Rogers (Los Angeles, CA), Dr. Da-Fayne R. Stunson (Wilmington, NC), Treasure Haywood Rogers, Jr. (Chattanooga, TN) and Bonnie Martinez Rogers (Las Vegas, NV). They enjoyed three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He passed away December 30, 1999.
Interview by Attorney Thomas Rogers
ATT THOMAS ROGERS
Attorney Rogers' Kentucky Oral History Commission Interview is currently being transcribed. The video will be available for viewing in the Fulton KY Library shortly.
Lee Thomas Rogers Sr
Position Held
Cook
Railroad Line Illinois Central
Lived in South Fulton KY and Chicago IL while working on the railroad.
Home Town so Fulton TN
Years Worked early 40s
dob 1923
Lee Thomas Rogers was a cook in the early forties for the Illinois Central Railroad. He is the brother of Treasure Rogers, Chef, and the son of Alice Ruth Rogers , Commissary Worker and Bonnie Rogers, Section Worker.
He was one of five children born to Bonnie and Annie Ruth. Kennedy Rogers here in the Fulton area, where he was raised and hired by the Illinois Central Railroad. He later moved to Chicago. And after his ICRR work he was hired as a cook on the New York Central.
He was married to Ellaweese Rogers and one son Ronald Lewis Rogers, was born to them.
Early in his short railroad career he fell, through an open door, off of an IC train, injuring his lungs and later at the young age of 23 died of tuberculosis.
Annie Ruth Rogers
Position Held
Commissary Worker
Railroad Line
Illinois Central
Lived in South Fulton KY while working on the railroad.
Home Town
Cottage Grove TN
Years Worked
1942-1952
dob 1903
Mrs. Rogers worked for the railroad at the height of its success during the 1940. She worked as what her co-worker’s daughter reminiscently refers to as a Sandwich Cart Lady. With limited work for African American women in Fulton, these were coveted jobs.
With more than 20 passenger trains a day the staff was very large and the women would meet each train – morning, noon and late into the night with delicious welcoming services of sandwiches, fried chicken hot steaming coffee and ice-cold milk. While some of he ladies boarded the trains to serve seated passengers, others stayed on the station platform to serve those passengers directly from the cart, that needed to “stretch their legs.” In usually a short while, the train would pull out again and the passengers would leave with full stomachs and a cheerful and pretty memory of Fulton. For an additional photo , see the Pretty Sandwich Cart Ladies pg
Bonnie Rogers
Position Held
Laborer, Bridge Crew, Wreck Clean-up Crew, Oiler, Round House Yard,
Railroad Line
Illinois Central
Lived in South Fulton KY while working on the railroad.
Home Town
Dresden TN
Years Worked
1942-1952
dob 1899
Mr. Bonnie Rogers, worked for the Illinois Central Railroad as a Railroad Section Laborer in the Fulton-South Fulton Area. He lived in South Fulton, Tennessee during the time that he worked for them. He was born in 1899 in Martin, Tennessee, to Mr. and Mrs. Treasure Rogers, Sr. He named one of his son's after his father. Treasure Jr. also worked on the Diner for Illinois Central.
All I can remember is it was in the early 1940's because I was born in 1945. The only unusual thing that I remember happening was that they sent him to the Illinois Central Hospital, Chicago, IL for tests to be qualified for disability. To him, it was taking such a long time for everything to come through that he asked Mrs. Beulah Dumas (Our teacher) to write the President of the United States and tell them about his case. She wrote the letter and within a few months, his pension came through. He never had a bit of trouble after this. In 1952 he retired early on a disability pension because of heart problems.
Mrs. Ginger Clardy, Daughter
..........he was also one snazzy dresser and stayed one until he took ill in the Fall of 1978. And it was he and my grandmother (coupled with my parents' own experiences in the 1960s) who really made my "history bug" take. Grandson Dr. Brian Clardy
Laborer, Bridge Crew, Wreck Clean-up Crew, Oiler, Round House Yard,
Railroad Line
Illinois Central
Lived in South Fulton KY while working on the railroad.
Home Town
Dresden TN
Years Worked
1942-1952
dob 1899
Mr. Bonnie Rogers, worked for the Illinois Central Railroad as a Railroad Section Laborer in the Fulton-South Fulton Area. He lived in South Fulton, Tennessee during the time that he worked for them. He was born in 1899 in Martin, Tennessee, to Mr. and Mrs. Treasure Rogers, Sr. He named one of his son's after his father. Treasure Jr. also worked on the Diner for Illinois Central.
All I can remember is it was in the early 1940's because I was born in 1945. The only unusual thing that I remember happening was that they sent him to the Illinois Central Hospital, Chicago, IL for tests to be qualified for disability. To him, it was taking such a long time for everything to come through that he asked Mrs. Beulah Dumas (Our teacher) to write the President of the United States and tell them about his case. She wrote the letter and within a few months, his pension came through. He never had a bit of trouble after this. In 1952 he retired early on a disability pension because of heart problems.
Mrs. Ginger Clardy, Daughter
..........he was also one snazzy dresser and stayed one until he took ill in the Fall of 1978. And it was he and my grandmother (coupled with my parents' own experiences in the 1960s) who really made my "history bug" take. Grandson Dr. Brian Clardy