b'Rogers continued from page 45Democratic National Convention, about to have his name placed in nomination by the Oklahoma delegation as a "favorite son!"While the movie The Story of Will Rogers (which featured his eldest son and namesake in the starring role) may have taken some dramatic license - including having a disapproving Clem Rogers (portrayed by Carl Benton Reid) sitting in with the Oklahoma delegates at the 1932 Democratic National Convention, a full 21 years after the death of the real Clem Rogers, there is no denying that Will Rogers was extremely popular and if he had been serious about becoming president, he would have made a serious rival to the then-favorite Franklin Delano Roosevelt. As it was, Will was asleep in the press gallery - covering the convention for a news agency - when the head of the Oklahoma Democratic Party delegation to the convention put in motion the name of Oklahoma\'s favorite son - Will Rogers for the presidency of the United States with all 22 Oklahoma delegates voting in approval.What happened next isn\'t exactly what Will Rogers Jr. said in that wonderful little movie, but it sure came close. Woken, Rogers let out a laugh, but seeing that the delegates were quite serious, he went down to the floor and asked to address the convention. He spoke for 20 minutes, impromptu, a commentary mixed of course with his homespun humor, with the delegates practically begging for more. Columnist Elmer Davis, himself covering the convention, said of Rogers\' speech, "If some fellow got up and nominated Rogers right then, he\'d have got two-thirds of the vote as quickly as a secretary could have read the roll" (Ibid., pp. 197-198). wagon; a hurdy-gurdy and musical instruments he played when the mood struck him; a barrel In short, Will Rogers very well could have eclipsed Franklinfull of his ropes; and, for a couch, a porch swing Delano Roosevelt to become the 32nd President of thethat hung from the exposed beams. Under the United States of America but then Rogers grew seriousstairway, available for use at any time, was a in his remarks, "Now, you rascals, I want you to promisestuffed calf on casters on which he practiced me one thing. No matter who is nominated, and of courseroping" (Carter, Will Rogers, p. 303).some of you are going home disappointed that it was not your man, no matter who is nominated, don\'t go home andThe spacious ranch had an equestrian hall, polo act like Democrats. Go home and act like he was the mangrounds (Rogers eschewed golf but he did love you came to see nominated. Don\'t say he is the weakestpolo), and a special office room where he could man you could have nominated; don\'t say he can\'t win. Yougo and write his columns and prepare his radio don\'t know what he can do, or how weak he is until nextshow. It was his - and his family\'s very own "HomeNovember. I don\'t see how he could ever be weak enoughon the Range": Rogers was very troubled by Mitchell\'s demotion and in not to win. If he lives until November, he\'s in" (Ibid., p. 198). subsequent years would use his bully pulpit and the pen to The pattern of the Rogers home life - simple and almostexplain in simple terms why we needed a strong air arm. Will Rogers may or may not have had the skills to become auntouched by the veneer of Hollywood - was directlyFascism was not quite on the rise, but the seeds had been GREAT PRESIDENT but by nature, he could very well havetraceable to Betty and Will\'s upbringing and background.sown, and within a few years the Germans, Japanese, and been. In the end, by turning down a nomination that couldOur parents were wholesome country people," Betty onceItalians had increased their military might in general and easily have been his, he proved that he was indeed A GREATsaid, "and that\'s the kind of life we like. And the kind wetheir air force in particular - and Rogers was even aware of AMERICAN.AND A GREAT AMERICAN PATRIOT - andwant our children to like" (Ketchum, Will Rogers, p. 307). the deficiencies of our air service even as early as 1925.it very well may have been the country\'s loss.At the time of Rogers\' untimely death, there were 31 rooms"I had a long talk with Mitchell. He never squealed and he FAMILY AND HIS RANCH LIFE at the ranch with guest housing added, plus a stable, corrals,never whined. He knows that someday America will have By 1932 Rogers had been married to Betty Blake for almosta riding and roping arena, the aforementioned polo field, ato have a tremendous air force, but he can\'t understand why a quarter of a century, he had three surviving children, Willgolf course, and riding trails. we are not training it now. But it does seem a strange way to Jr., Jim, and Mary (a fourth, Fred Stone Rogers had died inrepay a man who has fought for us through a war and has infancy) and for him, there was nothing finer than life atSO LONG WILL fought harder for us in peace to be reprimanded for telling home with his family - with the possible exceptions of ridingRogers may have been a landlocked Cowboy for most ofthe truth. And wasn\'t it a coincidence that we had just flown and flying. He had, earlier in the 1920s, purchased 359 acreshis life outside of the sea voyages he dreaded because of hisover Washington\'s home, the father of our country, whose of undeveloped land in the Santa Monica Mountains, justconstant seasickness but by 1925 he was quite fascinatedfirst claim to fame was telling the truth about a cherry tree! a couple of miles from the Pacific Ocean where the townby air travel, but also very concerned over the neglect ofBut George wasn\'t in the Army then, and the cherry tree of Pacific Palisades, California now exists, off of what wasour military aviation service. He had become friends withhad nothing to do with our national defense" (Ibid., p. 114).then an unpaved road and what is now Sunset Boulevard,then-General Billy Mitchell, the World War I veteran who and proceeded to build a ranch where he could relax, invitehad commanded our air force during that conflict. MitchellRogers began using air travel as a vehicle to venture to friends to parties and dinners, play polo, write his speecheshad ruffled the feathers of an Army brass unwilling toplaces around the world he had never seen before. It was and stories, be close to the studios, but what was even moremodernize its air service, and on May 10, 1925, on the eveabout this time that he made the acquaintance of a fellow important be close to his family whom he loved dearly. of his demotion to colonel, Mitchell took Rogers on hisOklahomanthe one-eyed pioneer of flight Wiley Post. first flight, a brief circuit around Washington, D.C. wherePost, was still relatively unknown even in this country With Betty\'s help he furnished the ranch house to hisRogers was able to see Mt. Vernon and the Washingtonexcept as the flier who died with Will Rogers, had broken liking, "the big living room overflowed with the mementosMonument by air. When the brief flight ended, Mitchellaviation records, flying around the globe twice, once he loved; over the stone fireplace was the head of a Texasturned to Rogers, and as Rogers would later note in hiswith a navigator, the second time all by himself. Rogers steer with an awesome pair of horns; a light fixture in theautobiography:"You have been with me on the last flightwas impressed by his fellow Oklahoman, and when Post ceiling was made from an old wagon wheel he had found onI will ever make as a brigadier-general. Tonight at twelvecompleted his solo flight he made it a point to send Post a the ranch; there were spurs, riding quirts, and beautifullyo\'clock I am to be demoted to a colonel and sent to acongratulatory telegram (Sterling & Sterling, Will Rogers worked saddles from all over the world; Navajo blanketsfaraway post where instead of having the entire air forceA Photo-Biography, p. 203). Drawn together by a common and rugs; Western paintings by his friends Charlie Russellat my command there will be seven planes" (Will Rogers,interest in the development of American aviation, the two andEd Borein; skins of a tiger and a black leopard sent himAutobiography of Will Rogers, pp. 112-114). men grew close, the gregarious, people-loving Cowboy by the Sultan of Johore (Malaysia); the model of a coveredand the taciturn, reserved aviator. When Post, who had continued on page 4846 February 2021'