Ellen Davies-Rodgers dies at 90; county trailblazer, philanthropist Commercial Appeal, The (Memphis, TN) - March 18, 1994
Ellen Davies-Rodgers, the determined woman who presided over a once-sprawling plantation in Brunswick and influenced the social and political affairs of Shelby County for much of this century, died at 6:30 a.m. Thursday at Baptist Memorial Hosptial East. She was 90.
Mrs. Davies-Rodgers -- Shelby County historian, writer, educator and philanthropist -- was hospitalized Monday, said her foster daughter, Frances Gandy. Death was attributed to kidney failure.
County Mayor Bill Morris said flags at county buildings will be flown at half staff until her funeral Saturday. He said her death ''marks the passing of an era because Mrs.
Rodgers had an influence and significance in our history that spanned generations.
''Long before women had assumed their rightful place in decision-making, Mrs. Rodgers was making her voice heard, and she was equally adept at talking to either a farm worker or a U.S. senator.''
Mrs. Davies-Rodgers ''was always a person who had strong opinions and did a lot for Shelby County,'' said Charles Perkins, chairman of the Shelby County Commission. ''She
designed the county flag and did much to preserve the history of Shelby County.''
Bartlett Mayor Bobby Flaherty said he had considerable respect for Mrs. Davies-Rodgers. ''In the strongest sense of the word, she was a true leader and she was a very determined person who would always see a good cause through.''
Miss Ellen, or Cousin Ellen, as some called her, was the quintessential Southern lady who lived on Davies Plantation in the Brunswick community, just north of Interstate 40.
She was born in and lived virtually all her life in The Oaks, a rambling, antiques filled white frame house that anchored the almost 2,500-acre plantation that she and her late husband, Hillman Philip Rodgers, had once farmed.
Rodgers died in 1976 and most of the property had been sold in recent years and developed as Plantation Estates Davieshire. Land developer and Shelby County Commissioner Clair Vander Schaaf had worked with Mrs. Davies-Rodgers on the project.
Last year she told a reporter she had helped plan and oversee ''the developments. We don't call them subdivisions.''
''If I didn't want them, they wouldn't be here because I did not have to sell one foot of this land,'' she said. ''I sold because I knew that eventually it would be developed and I wanted to be a part of it.''
''She was a woman ahead of her time, and behind in time, constantly merging the past, present and always looking to the future,'' Vander Schaaf said.
Mrs. Davies-Rodgers did not shy from controversy, and knew how to get what she wanted whether the issue was annexation or the rerouting of a road. She could serve charm with fried chicken and chocolate cake, and if that didn't work, she relied on her lawyers.
She became involved in several community ''challenges'' in the 1970s and 1980s. In one case, Mrs. Davies-Rodgers led an army of landowners opposing a power line.
Her last public stand was about a year ago when she sought to discourage Lakeland from trying to annex neighboring Stonebridge development. She accused Lakeland of ''trespassing.''
She was generous to church and education.
In 1974, she donated 10 acres near her home to the Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee. She then built St. Philip Episcopal Church and has donated land for a future school at the church site.
She had given more than $100,000 to Memphis State University. She received a diploma from the school in 1923 when it was the West Tennessee State Normal College, and was a professor of education there from 1929 to 1938.
Mrs. Davies-Rodgers also received a bachelor of science degree from George Peabody College in Nashville in 1924, and a master of arts degree from Columbia University in New York City in 1927.
She taught nursery and elementary school in the 1920s and was principal at Arlington High School in 1928-29. She was state supervisor of elementary education in West Tennessee
from 1938 to 1940 and was principal of Lausanne Collegiate School in 1954.
She was a member of the Shelby County Board of Education from 1961 to 1965 and a director of the Tennessee School Boards Association from 1963 to 1965.
Mrs. Davies-Rodgers was named county historian in 1965 and had written 10 books, most about church or local history. She was at work on her 11th book when she died.
Mrs. Davies-Rodgers served in many civic, church and historical groups, including the Zacharia Davies chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. That group hosted her 90th birthday party Nov. 13 in the community center behind Mrs. Davies-Rodgers's home. More than 500 people attended.
''This is truly a great, great occasion,'' she told the crowd. ''I used to look at old ladies who were 90 and wonder how they made it, and I look at myself and I ask the same question. How have I made it? But I'm here and I feel good.''
The Rodgerses did not have children, but helped raise two other foster daughters, Sarah Gandy, who lived with Mrs. Davies-Rodgers along with Frances Gandy at The Oaks, and Mary Gandy Hardee of Gueydan, La.
Ellen Davies-Rodgers, the determined woman who presided over a once-sprawling plantation in Brunswick and influenced the social and political affairs of Shelby County for much of this century, died at 6:30 a.m. Thursday at Baptist Memorial Hosptial East. She was 90.
Mrs. Davies-Rodgers -- Shelby County historian, writer, educator and philanthropist -- was hospitalized Monday, said her foster daughter, Frances Gandy. Death was attributed to kidney failure.
County Mayor Bill Morris said flags at county buildings will be flown at half staff until her funeral Saturday. He said her death ''marks the passing of an era because Mrs.
Rodgers had an influence and significance in our history that spanned generations.
''Long before women had assumed their rightful place in decision-making, Mrs. Rodgers was making her voice heard, and she was equally adept at talking to either a farm worker or a U.S. senator.''
Mrs. Davies-Rodgers ''was always a person who had strong opinions and did a lot for Shelby County,'' said Charles Perkins, chairman of the Shelby County Commission. ''She
designed the county flag and did much to preserve the history of Shelby County.''
Bartlett Mayor Bobby Flaherty said he had considerable respect for Mrs. Davies-Rodgers. ''In the strongest sense of the word, she was a true leader and she was a very determined person who would always see a good cause through.''
Miss Ellen, or Cousin Ellen, as some called her, was the quintessential Southern lady who lived on Davies Plantation in the Brunswick community, just north of Interstate 40.
She was born in and lived virtually all her life in The Oaks, a rambling, antiques filled white frame house that anchored the almost 2,500-acre plantation that she and her late husband, Hillman Philip Rodgers, had once farmed.
Rodgers died in 1976 and most of the property had been sold in recent years and developed as Plantation Estates Davieshire. Land developer and Shelby County Commissioner Clair Vander Schaaf had worked with Mrs. Davies-Rodgers on the project.
Last year she told a reporter she had helped plan and oversee ''the developments. We don't call them subdivisions.''
''If I didn't want them, they wouldn't be here because I did not have to sell one foot of this land,'' she said. ''I sold because I knew that eventually it would be developed and I wanted to be a part of it.''
''She was a woman ahead of her time, and behind in time, constantly merging the past, present and always looking to the future,'' Vander Schaaf said.
Mrs. Davies-Rodgers did not shy from controversy, and knew how to get what she wanted whether the issue was annexation or the rerouting of a road. She could serve charm with fried chicken and chocolate cake, and if that didn't work, she relied on her lawyers.
She became involved in several community ''challenges'' in the 1970s and 1980s. In one case, Mrs. Davies-Rodgers led an army of landowners opposing a power line.
Her last public stand was about a year ago when she sought to discourage Lakeland from trying to annex neighboring Stonebridge development. She accused Lakeland of ''trespassing.''
She was generous to church and education.
In 1974, she donated 10 acres near her home to the Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee. She then built St. Philip Episcopal Church and has donated land for a future school at the church site.
She had given more than $100,000 to Memphis State University. She received a diploma from the school in 1923 when it was the West Tennessee State Normal College, and was a professor of education there from 1929 to 1938.
Mrs. Davies-Rodgers also received a bachelor of science degree from George Peabody College in Nashville in 1924, and a master of arts degree from Columbia University in New York City in 1927.
She taught nursery and elementary school in the 1920s and was principal at Arlington High School in 1928-29. She was state supervisor of elementary education in West Tennessee
from 1938 to 1940 and was principal of Lausanne Collegiate School in 1954.
She was a member of the Shelby County Board of Education from 1961 to 1965 and a director of the Tennessee School Boards Association from 1963 to 1965.
Mrs. Davies-Rodgers was named county historian in 1965 and had written 10 books, most about church or local history. She was at work on her 11th book when she died.
Mrs. Davies-Rodgers served in many civic, church and historical groups, including the Zacharia Davies chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. That group hosted her 90th birthday party Nov. 13 in the community center behind Mrs. Davies-Rodgers's home. More than 500 people attended.
''This is truly a great, great occasion,'' she told the crowd. ''I used to look at old ladies who were 90 and wonder how they made it, and I look at myself and I ask the same question. How have I made it? But I'm here and I feel good.''
The Rodgerses did not have children, but helped raise two other foster daughters, Sarah Gandy, who lived with Mrs. Davies-Rodgers along with Frances Gandy at The Oaks, and Mary Gandy Hardee of Gueydan, La.
Ellen Davies-Rodgers dies at 90; county trailblazer, philanthropist Commercial Appeal, The (Memphis, TN) - March 18, 1994
Ellen Davies-Rodgers, the determined woman who presided over a once-sprawling plantation in Brunswick and influenced the social and political affairs of Shelby County for much of this century, died at 6:30 a.m. Thursday at Baptist Memorial Hosptial East. She was 90.
Mrs. Davies-Rodgers -- Shelby County historian, writer, educator and philanthropist -- was hospitalized Monday, said her foster daughter, Frances Gandy. Death was attributed to kidney failure.
County Mayor Bill Morris said flags at county buildings will be flown at half staff until her funeral Saturday. He said her death ''marks the passing of an era because Mrs.
Rodgers had an influence and significance in our history that spanned generations.
''Long before women had assumed their rightful place in decision-making, Mrs. Rodgers was making her voice heard, and she was equally adept at talking to either a farm worker or a U.S. senator.''
Mrs. Davies-Rodgers ''was always a person who had strong opinions and did a lot for Shelby County,'' said Charles Perkins, chairman of the Shelby County Commission. ''She
designed the county flag and did much to preserve the history of Shelby County.''
Bartlett Mayor Bobby Flaherty said he had considerable respect for Mrs. Davies-Rodgers. ''In the strongest sense of the word, she was a true leader and she was a very determined person who would always see a good cause through.''
Miss Ellen, or Cousin Ellen, as some called her, was the quintessential Southern lady who lived on Davies Plantation in the Brunswick community, just north of Interstate 40.
She was born in and lived virtually all her life in The Oaks, a rambling, antiques filled white frame house that anchored the almost 2,500-acre plantation that she and her late husband, Hillman Philip Rodgers, had once farmed.
Rodgers died in 1976 and most of the property had been sold in recent years and developed as Plantation Estates Davieshire. Land developer and Shelby County Commissioner Clair Vander Schaaf had worked with Mrs. Davies-Rodgers on the project.
Last year she told a reporter she had helped plan and oversee ''the developments. We don't call them subdivisions.''
''If I didn't want them, they wouldn't be here because I did not have to sell one foot of this land,'' she said. ''I sold because I knew that eventually it would be developed and I wanted to be a part of it.''
''She was a woman ahead of her time, and behind in time, constantly merging the past, present and always looking to the future,'' Vander Schaaf said.
Mrs. Davies-Rodgers did not shy from controversy, and knew how to get what she wanted whether the issue was annexation or the rerouting of a road. She could serve charm with fried chicken and chocolate cake, and if that didn't work, she relied on her lawyers.
She became involved in several community ''challenges'' in the 1970s and 1980s. In one case, Mrs. Davies-Rodgers led an army of landowners opposing a power line.
Her last public stand was about a year ago when she sought to discourage Lakeland from trying to annex neighboring Stonebridge development. She accused Lakeland of ''trespassing.''
She was generous to church and education.
In 1974, she donated 10 acres near her home to the Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee. She then built St. Philip Episcopal Church and has donated land for a future school at the church site.
She had given more than $100,000 to Memphis State University. She received a diploma from the school in 1923 when it was the West Tennessee State Normal College, and was a professor of education there from 1929 to 1938.
Mrs. Davies-Rodgers also received a bachelor of science degree from George Peabody College in Nashville in 1924, and a master of arts degree from Columbia University in New York City in 1927.
She taught nursery and elementary school in the 1920s and was principal at Arlington High School in 1928-29. She was state supervisor of elementary education in West Tennessee
from 1938 to 1940 and was principal of Lausanne Collegiate School in 1954.
She was a member of the Shelby County Board of Education from 1961 to 1965 and a director of the Tennessee School Boards Association from 1963 to 1965.
Mrs. Davies-Rodgers was named county historian in 1965 and had written 10 books, most about church or local history. She was at work on her 11th book when she died.
Mrs. Davies-Rodgers served in many civic, church and historical groups, including the Zacharia Davies chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. That group hosted her 90th birthday party Nov. 13 in the community center behind Mrs. Davies-Rodgers's home. More than 500 people attended.
''This is truly a great, great occasion,'' she told the crowd. ''I used to look at old ladies who were 90 and wonder how they made it, and I look at myself and I ask the same question. How have I made it? But I'm here and I feel good.''
The Rodgerses did not have children, but helped raise two other foster daughters, Sarah Gandy, who lived with Mrs. Davies-Rodgers along with Frances Gandy at The Oaks, and Mary Gandy Hardee of Gueydan, La.
Ellen Davies-Rodgers, the determined woman who presided over a once-sprawling plantation in Brunswick and influenced the social and political affairs of Shelby County for much of this century, died at 6:30 a.m. Thursday at Baptist Memorial Hosptial East. She was 90.
Mrs. Davies-Rodgers -- Shelby County historian, writer, educator and philanthropist -- was hospitalized Monday, said her foster daughter, Frances Gandy. Death was attributed to kidney failure.
County Mayor Bill Morris said flags at county buildings will be flown at half staff until her funeral Saturday. He said her death ''marks the passing of an era because Mrs.
Rodgers had an influence and significance in our history that spanned generations.
''Long before women had assumed their rightful place in decision-making, Mrs. Rodgers was making her voice heard, and she was equally adept at talking to either a farm worker or a U.S. senator.''
Mrs. Davies-Rodgers ''was always a person who had strong opinions and did a lot for Shelby County,'' said Charles Perkins, chairman of the Shelby County Commission. ''She
designed the county flag and did much to preserve the history of Shelby County.''
Bartlett Mayor Bobby Flaherty said he had considerable respect for Mrs. Davies-Rodgers. ''In the strongest sense of the word, she was a true leader and she was a very determined person who would always see a good cause through.''
Miss Ellen, or Cousin Ellen, as some called her, was the quintessential Southern lady who lived on Davies Plantation in the Brunswick community, just north of Interstate 40.
She was born in and lived virtually all her life in The Oaks, a rambling, antiques filled white frame house that anchored the almost 2,500-acre plantation that she and her late husband, Hillman Philip Rodgers, had once farmed.
Rodgers died in 1976 and most of the property had been sold in recent years and developed as Plantation Estates Davieshire. Land developer and Shelby County Commissioner Clair Vander Schaaf had worked with Mrs. Davies-Rodgers on the project.
Last year she told a reporter she had helped plan and oversee ''the developments. We don't call them subdivisions.''
''If I didn't want them, they wouldn't be here because I did not have to sell one foot of this land,'' she said. ''I sold because I knew that eventually it would be developed and I wanted to be a part of it.''
''She was a woman ahead of her time, and behind in time, constantly merging the past, present and always looking to the future,'' Vander Schaaf said.
Mrs. Davies-Rodgers did not shy from controversy, and knew how to get what she wanted whether the issue was annexation or the rerouting of a road. She could serve charm with fried chicken and chocolate cake, and if that didn't work, she relied on her lawyers.
She became involved in several community ''challenges'' in the 1970s and 1980s. In one case, Mrs. Davies-Rodgers led an army of landowners opposing a power line.
Her last public stand was about a year ago when she sought to discourage Lakeland from trying to annex neighboring Stonebridge development. She accused Lakeland of ''trespassing.''
She was generous to church and education.
In 1974, she donated 10 acres near her home to the Episcopal Diocese of West Tennessee. She then built St. Philip Episcopal Church and has donated land for a future school at the church site.
She had given more than $100,000 to Memphis State University. She received a diploma from the school in 1923 when it was the West Tennessee State Normal College, and was a professor of education there from 1929 to 1938.
Mrs. Davies-Rodgers also received a bachelor of science degree from George Peabody College in Nashville in 1924, and a master of arts degree from Columbia University in New York City in 1927.
She taught nursery and elementary school in the 1920s and was principal at Arlington High School in 1928-29. She was state supervisor of elementary education in West Tennessee
from 1938 to 1940 and was principal of Lausanne Collegiate School in 1954.
She was a member of the Shelby County Board of Education from 1961 to 1965 and a director of the Tennessee School Boards Association from 1963 to 1965.
Mrs. Davies-Rodgers was named county historian in 1965 and had written 10 books, most about church or local history. She was at work on her 11th book when she died.
Mrs. Davies-Rodgers served in many civic, church and historical groups, including the Zacharia Davies chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. That group hosted her 90th birthday party Nov. 13 in the community center behind Mrs. Davies-Rodgers's home. More than 500 people attended.
''This is truly a great, great occasion,'' she told the crowd. ''I used to look at old ladies who were 90 and wonder how they made it, and I look at myself and I ask the same question. How have I made it? But I'm here and I feel good.''
The Rodgerses did not have children, but helped raise two other foster daughters, Sarah Gandy, who lived with Mrs. Davies-Rodgers along with Frances Gandy at The Oaks, and Mary Gandy Hardee of Gueydan, La.
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