Rising from the obscurity of a country upbringing our Brother, the son of an Oklahoma rancher rose to a level of power and respect that most heads of state can only dream of. This man of little formal education truly captured the attention and imagination of the world. Armed with a homespun brand of humor and philosophy he entertained the public, promoting thought and encouraging leaders to walk the straight and narrow path of righteousness. He was famous for statements like, "Lead your life so you wouldn’t be ashamed to sell the family parrot to the town gossip.". Raised a Master Mason in Claremore Lodge # 53, A.F.& A.M., Claremore, Indian Territory (Oklahoma) on March 13, 1906, he constantly promoted our Masonic ideas of brotherly love, ethics, and charity.

Born November 4, 1879 in the Indian Territory, William Penn Adair Rogers was an outdoorsman and rambler. Early on he saw that school was not for him and began work as a ranch cowboy. Day to day ranch life fell by the way as Will discovered the joy of rodeo competition. His skills as a roper earned him a small amount of cash early on, but eventually led him into the world of Wild West Shows and the Circus. His rambling nature led him to Argentina in 1902 where he worked in the pampas with the gauchos. From there he wrangled livestock aboard a ship bound for South Africa. His show career began in Africa when Texas Jack’s Wild West Show hired him as a trick roper.

Will’s amazing feats of skill with a rope were the keys that got him in the door to a life on stage, but his ultimate success was roped through his humorous banter. Back in the U.S., Will began working in vaudeville, twirling the rope and catching horses on stage. Suddenly he caught the audience’s attention when in his shy manner he began to ad lib. One of the first was, "Swinging a rope is all right," "Provided your neck ain’t in it.". His dry humor and witty observations eventually led to star roles in the Ziegfield Follies, movie roles, radio commentaries, books, articles, and at the time of his death in a plane crash in 1935, recognition as America’s number one box office draw.

This Mason’s charitable spirit was legendary. Often he was known to give away the last of his pocket money, requiring him to bum a ride home. "It’s great to be great, but it is greater to be human." This human side led Brother Will to be recognized as one of the largest individual contributors the Red Cross and the Salvation Army had. At one point he refused a radio series unless his entire salary of $75,000 was split between the two charities. Numerous out of work actors were employed by Rogers, often receiving more pay than they could receive from bit parts. Will’s friend Brother Eddie Cantor, recalled that he saw Will anonymously give one thousand dollars to the Goodfellows Fund, telling them to buy some toys for the kids. In an effort to bring some relief to those in areas of natural disasters, Will visited many sites, including Managua Nicaragua, Mexico, and the flooded Mississippi River Valley. He also visited Hospitals in efforts to bring cheer to the sick and injured. Will Rogers though famous was not above sitting beside an ill child and telling him stories.

But first and foremost Will was an American. He openly challenged our system and leaders to do better. As a good Brother should, without malice, he pointed out the wrongs he observed. An example was the following influenced by the First World War. "The guy who makes the bullets was paid $5 per day, and the man who stopped them got $15 a month", "Of course this came under the heading of unskilled labor." Much of his time was spent at the "National Joke Factory", Washington. The actions of our Government were constant sources of material. It would seem the Legislators would have had enough gibes, like these slogans, "Why sleep at home when you can sleep in Congress?" "Be a politician, no training necessary!" "Come to Washington and vote to raise your pay!", but when Will turned down a series of radio spots, he was convinced to take on the project after receiving a letter signed by the entire Senate.

His most famous line concludes an explanation of how he got away with kidding so many important figures, "…because I liked all of them personally, and if there was no malice in your heart, there could be none in your gags; and I have always said I never met a man I didn’t like.". With a shy tilt to his head, a twinkle in his eye, and a grin, our Brother captured the public with humorous half-truths. As evidenced by the recent Broadway hit, "The Will Rogers Follies" many of his gags are still as effective today as they were when first told. This was a man our country and the Masonic Fraternity should be proud of, for he was able to touch the heart of the high and mighty as well as the common man. "There is nothing impresses "common folks" like somebody that ain’t common."