Happy Trails

In memory of

Roy Rogers - "King of the Cowboys"

Nov. 5, 1911 - July 6, 1998

Today, I would like to pay tribute to the life of a great man.  I first "discovered" Roy Rogers and Dale Evans just over 13 years ago...and it was love at first sight.  I was captivated by their movies and the characters they portrayed.  They became my heroes.  And then...soon afterward...my 12 year old heart was broken when I learned that Roy had died.  I wept over the newspaper article paying tribute to Roy, with "Happy Trails Until We Meet Again" emblazoned above his picture.  It was though I had lost a very dear friend...a member of my family.  Even though I had never met him, he held a very special place in my heart.

Roy was a hero to millions of children (and adults!), and he took that role seriously.  Once, on a hunting trip with some buddies, he looked down at the beer can in his hand and considered the message that would send to his young fans if any of them could see him at that moment.  He threw away the can and purposed never to drink again.  Even in those secluded moments, he wanted to live up to the image he represented.  Laurence Zwisohn says it more poetically in his biography of Roy's life...

"Roy Rogers was everyone's image of what a cowboy should be, from his white Stetson with its silver hatband to his hand-tooled boots. His face was strong and handsome with eyes that squinted yet still showed a twinkle. His smile was warm and reassuring. Whether he was wearing fringed Western wear or a checkered cowboy shirt, he was the epitome of what a cowboy should be. He was the picture of honesty and integrity. And was there ever a more exciting sight than watching Roy and Trigger riding majestically across the television screen or a rodeo arena? No wonder three generations of kids (and adults) wanted to be like Roy Rogers. We wanted to look like Roy, dress like Roy, and be as honest and forthright as Roy.

He gave us standards to live by that helped teach us the difference between right and wrong. His willingness to stand up for the things he believed in inspired us. And his religious faith and his concern for the less fortunate helped mold our character. Roy lived his life off camera with the same decency and humility that he projected on television and on the silver screen. He was the hero who never let us down. Despite all the success that came to him, Roy never seemed to lose his way. And he never forgot that his fans were the ones who made it possible for a poor boy from Ohio to attain a level of success greater than anything he could ever have imagined."

"By 1944 Roy had starred in 39 films and had worked with almost as many leading ladies. All this changed when the studio cast Dale Evans in The Cowboy And The Senorita. The wonderful chemistry between Roy and Dale was apparent to everyone right from the start, as the movie screen lit up with a special kind of magic. Few women had ever made their mark in Westerns before Dale Evans came along. Maybe this was because Dale was different from most of those who had preceded her. She was intelligent, strong-willed, a good sport, a fine singer, and as beautiful as they come." (Laurence Zwisohn)

Family was always important to Roy.  He and his first wife, Arline, adopted a baby girl (Cheryl), then had two children together (Linda and Dusty).  Tragically, Arline died of a blood clot shortly after Dusty's birth.  Roy sacrificed of himself even in the moments of his greatest heartbreak.  He stood outside the hospital, the tears streaming down his face, and signed autographs for every single one of the children that surrounded him.

Roy and Dale had one child together - Robin Elizabeth - who went home to the arms of Jesus shortly before her second birthday.  They also adopted four children - Dodie, Debbie, Mimi, and Sandy.   

 

Roy's faith was also a priority.  "Only a month after Robin passed away, Roy and Dale were scheduled to open a long engagement at the rodeo at Madison Square Garden in New York, an appearance that had been scheduled almost a year earlier. Robin's life had strengthened their religious faith, and Roy wanted to use his position as a role model to encourage children to go to Sunday school. However, his decision to sing the inspirational song "Peace In The Valley" didn't please the Garden's management, who felt the song wasn't in keeping with the type of show they had in mind. Roy was asked to drop the song, but he refused. As far as he was concerned if they wouldn't allow him to sing this song, he'd just as soon pack up and go home. Roy stood firm, and the Garden's management finally backed off. His judgment proved to be right, as his heartfelt performance of "Peace In The Valley" brought a hush to the huge Madison Square Garden arena each evening. 

Roy Rogers always recognized his responsibilities to his audience, particularly the kids who had made his career possible. He realized that these children looked up to him and that he had an obligation to live up to their expectations. If this meant putting himself on the line, he was willing to do that if he felt the cause was right. Although there were a number of occasions throughout the years when his religious convictions and his patriotism hurt his career, Roy Rogers never backed away from the things in which he believed." (Laurence Zwisohn)

I'll close with one last excerpt from Laurence Zwisohn's biography of Roy:


"Roy Rogers was a man who really didn't change over the years. Even though he became a hero to three generations of the world's children and adults, he continued to be the same decent, humble, and ever-smiling guy that he was back in the days of the Depression when he was struggling to make a living. He always remained grateful to the fans that had made his success possible and always felt a responsibility to live up to the public's image of him. Although health problems took a heavy toll during his last two years, Roy always retained that wonderful twinkle in his eye along with his optimistic outlook on life. Early on the morning of July 6, 1998, he passed away, but for the countless people who grew up with Roy Rogers as our cowboy hero, he and Trigger will always ride majestically through our thoughts and our dreams.

Roy Rogers was a man who unashamedly loved his God, his family, and his country. He was that rare public figure who was just the same on screen as he was off. He just wouldn't have known how to be anything else."

Happy Trails, Roy.  I look forward to meeting you in Heaven!