Francis Rogers

Francis Rogers graduated from the Roxbury Latin School in 1887 and from Harvard College in 1891. He was by birth and bringing up entirely New England. He was a member of the Century for more than forty years.

He was a singer all his life—a singer who could lift the hearts of men and make them see visions. A critic, after at tending a concert where Rogers sang, wrote of him:

“What a song recital he can give. He can be somber or gay, merry or pathetic, tragic or humorous, and above all delicate and even subtle in suggestion. He is a master of style and an interpreter to whom all lyric and poetic doors easily open. There is no one else who sings the dainties of French songs with quite the exquisite finish which he obtains. . . . Young singers ought always to go to Mr. Rogers’ concerts. They can learn priceless lessons in song interpretation, in the economic use of material, the almost imperceptible tinging of tone, the scale of dynamics, which is so wide and impressive without containing a real forte. There is also much to be learned from Mr. Rogers’ diction. This is a department of the vocal art of which he has made extensive and intensive study, and in which he is a recognized authority.”

He gave recitals and concerts; and he sang many times at the Century for his friends. When he sang “Rolling Down to Rio” it was exciting beyond words. He had a kind of restraint, a suggestion of untapped reservoirs of emotion, that had the dynamic force of the calculated understatement. In this he was New England. There was a first-classness about his performances that seemed to set them apart from the general.

The first “Entertainment Party” sent to France in 1917 by the Y.M.C.A. consisted of Rogers as soloist, his wife, Cornelia Barnes Rogers—who gave original character sketches—and their accompanist Roger Lyon. Throughout the A.E.F. they were billed as “The Rogers Concert Party—Folks from Home.” As President for many years of the American Committee of the Fontainebleau Fine Arts and Music Schools Association, he was awarded the medal of the French Legion d’Honneur. He was a director and officer of the Soldiers’, Sailors’ and Airmen’s Club of New York.

Rogers was an aristocratic person, handsome, tall and with excellent manners. Withal, he was most pleasant company—understanding and kind and generous. As a member of the Club, he served on the Admissions Committee, the House Committee, the Nominating Committee, and the Board of Management, and to all these tasks he brought commonsense and patience and a capacity to get things done.

He never did a mean or cheap thing.

George W. Martin
1951/1952 Century Association Yearbook