Mom's Story Part 16

ANDREW LOCY ROGERS FAMILY

In the picture:  Left to right:  seated - Clara Gleason, Thora, Andrew Locy, Clara

standing - Chase, Alvirus, Leroy, Marion, and Andrew.

**A quote from Biography of Marion Rogers by His Wife Leonora S. Rogers pg.89**
"August 1919 marked the beginning of a new venture for four Rogers boys (Chase, Marion Alvirus and Leroy).  They formed a company known as Rogers Brothers Road Contracting Company with Chase as manager.....  (For many years) they built many roads in Arizona."

Horse team with Fresno scraper

During this time (early 1930s) my Dad was just realizing that he could no longer compete with the new wonderful road-building equipment coming on the market with the immense tractors and dirt movers, so seeing the handwriting on the wall, decided to get out of the business of road building with horse teams and fresno scrapers.  However, his brothers remained and the next year or so took heavy losses on some of their contracts.  They mortgaged their homes and land to pay the debts, but Dad and Mother picked up the mortgages from the Bank and paid them off through their hard work and saving habits.  Later, when Dad and Mother were on their mission and the lands were finally paid for, Dad returned the deeds to the homes and lands back to his brothers with no interest or payments.  It was a magnanimous gift of love.  This gift was given just a few months before Uncle Bige’s death.

            In 1932 it was the height of the depression and there was very little money available.  Dad was faced with the problem of sending children to college.  This was one of his dreams to give each of his children a college education – something he always longed to have.  So, in his creativity he started a milk route into Winslow, a thriving railroad town sixty miles west of Snowflake.  He used his family car at first for a truck, taking a few cases of milk and fresh garden produce but gradually the business grew to a point that a company was formed to take milk into both Holbrook and Winslow and the same truck hauled milk to both places.  He bought the milk from local farmers who had formed a cooperative organization. What an effort this business was for my father, getting up at three or four o’clock in the morning to get to Winslow then running madly for several hours delivering the milk to his customers.  After a day like this he would drive home just to pitch into the never-ending tasks of getting ready for the next day’s run.  Rain or snow, heat of summer, Sundays and holidays, the milk had to go.  Mayola and Scully were good to help him as long as they were home.  Mayola drove the truck and Scully ran the milk.  Often I was pressed into service to run the milk.  I remember how tired I was when the milk was delivered and I climbed into the truck to head for home.  Dad had several accidents during the sixteen years of service (from age forty-five to sixty).  Some were too close for comfort, but the Lord protected him and he prospered. 

Maeser Bldg at BYU

            Mayola started BYU in 1931.  I remember Mother sending her the huge amount of $15.00 per month.  On that allowance, it left no surpluses for clothing.  I suppose it was bleak at times.  However, one of Dad’s customers was Mr. Greaves, who owned a shoe store and paid Dad in shoes for the family.  They weren’t what we liked particularly but at least we were shod.  The pretty shoes seemed as though were always a half size too small for me, so I suffered a lot with sore feet and corns.  I’m sure my pride entered into the picture too, for I had big feet.