Hartz. Rogers reappointed to Will Rogers Commission

 

Governor Brad Henry has recommended reappointment of two longtime Will Rogers Memorial Commission members, sponsored by state Sen. Sean Burrage.

Jim Hartz, chairman, and Kem Rogers, Will Rogers’ grandson, are recommended for five-year terms.

Senate confirmation is required.

Hartz has served on the Commission since 1992 and has continuously been named chairman. Rogers, who represents the family, was appointed to the Commission in 2000 after the death of his father, Jimmy Rogers.

“It is an honor and privilege to sponsor Jim Hartz and Kem Rogers for reappointment to the Will Rogers Memorial Commission,” Burrage said. “Jim Hartz has been an invaluable leader on the Commission, and I look forward to working with him in the future. It is great to have a family member in Kem Rogers on the Commission, which is a tremendous asset. His service has been invaluable.”

A resident of the Washington, D.C., area, Hartz was a Tulsa television newsman before moving to New York to anchor 6 and 11 p.m. news broadcasts He spent almost four years co-hosting the “Today” show with Barbara Walters before returning to regular news coverage.

He visits Claremore often and was here in November for Will Rogers Days and the 70th anniversary of the opening of Will Rogers Memorial Museum.

Rogers, now retired after a career as a feedlot operator and cattle feeder, lives in Tennessee. A regular judge of polo games, he too is a frequent visitor to the museum as he has been since coming with his parents as a youngster.

He and his daughter, Jennifer Rogers Etcheverry, who serves on the Will Rogers Ranch in California Foundation, attended all the functions of the 70th anniversary of the opening of the museum.

Other members of the Commission are Steve Turnbo, vice chairman, Tulsa public relations firm executive; Paul H. Johnson, Tulsa attorney; Steve Pazzo, Claremore attorney; Deacon Turner, Tulsa financier; and Cara Cowan Watts, Claremore, Cherokee Nation tribal counselor.

Commissioners are charged with oversight of the Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore and Birthplace Ranch near Oologah. They currently serve on he Will Rogers Heritage, Inc. board.