A milestone in the desegregation of East Carolina College occurred in 1962 when Laura Marie Leary Elliot enrolled as the first degree-seeking, full-time undergraduate. By 1964, over a dozen other African-American students had enrolled. Among this group was Ray Rogers. Born and raised in Williamston, Rogers attended East Carolina from 1964 to 1966 before enlisting in the Air Force. During his years at ECC, African-American students, a small minority on a campus of ten thousand students, often felt isolated and less than welcome. A Ku Klux Klan rally staged in 1965 near Ficklen Stadium was, no doubt, meant to intimidate this small vanguard of African-Americans, but it did not diminish their resolve. However, when Rogers returned from military service to ECU in 1970, things were very different: two hundred African-American students lived on campus and the playing of “Dixie” was no longer a staple at home football games. The historic resolve of the first wave of black students had made a difference. Ray Rogers, part of that group of students, graduated from ECU with a B.S. in Business Administration in 1972.
At East Carolina, Ray met his future wife, Eve Clark. They were married on August 26, 1972. Their daughter, Adeea Rogers, has continued the family connection with East Carolina, graduating in 2005. Adeea advanced her parents’ legacy of leadership as staff advisor for ECU’s Black Student Union and as an events coordinator in the ECU Student Union. Adeea is now a prominent social media manager, consultant, and event planner.
After graduation, Ray Rogers worked as a business administrator of Cornerstone Missionary Baptist Church in Greenville; vice president of Triangle Bank in Greenville; vice president of Wachovia Bank and Trust in New Bern, and executive director of several non-profit organizations. He has also served as a board member of the United Health Systems of Eastern Carolina, Inc., Southern Bank and Trust, and the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust. Rogers has served on board of Pitt Community College, and as district director for U. S. Congressman G. K. Butterfield. For his tireless efforts in encouraging wellness at the local level, the North Carolina Health and Wellness Trust Fund awarded Rogers the Community Catalyst Award. Rogers is currently serving as a member of the ECU Board of Visitors.
After graduating from ECU, Eve Rogers studied at UNC Chapel Hill before working as a juvenile justice administrator. Honoring her thirty years of tireless professional service, Rogers was named to the Order of the Longleaf Pine in 2002. Today, Eve Rogers pastors New Dimensions Community Church in Greenville, and Ray serves as a deacon in the congregation.
Sources
- Blackburn, Marion. “Invisible No More,” East, Spring 2009.
- “Butterfield Names District Director,” The Daily Reflector, December 23, 2010.
- “Miss Everlena Clark is Wed,” The Daily Reflector, August 27, 1972.
- Records of Leo W. Jenkins’ Tenure. UA02-06. University Archives, J.Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC.
- “Tearing Down the Wall: Desegregation at East Carolina University,” Special Collections Division, J.Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, http://digital.lib.ecu.edu/desegregation/.
Citation Information
Title: Ray and Eve Rogers
Author: John A. Tucker, PhD
Date of Publication: 6/25/2019