County medical director succumbs to COVID complications

Corsicana and Navarro County lost its biggest crusader against the pandemic Saturday, to the disease he fought so hard to contain.

Navarro County Health Director and Corsicana ISD School Board President Dr. Kent Rogers passed away from COVID-19 complications around 2 p.m. Jan. 30.

“It is with great sadness that we inform you that Dr. Kent Rogers passed away this afternoon with his family by his side,” The Navarro County Office of Emergency Management stated. “Dr. Rogers has been at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19 here in Navarro County as our Local Health Authority. His leadership and key stakeholder knowledge have been invaluable as we have navigated this this entire pandemic. Please keep Dr. Rogers’s family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time of loss.”

In the moments leading up to his death, friend and fellow CISD Board Member Fr. Ed Monk posted the following on Facebook:

“After a long and valiant struggle with COVID-19, Dr. Rogers faced the choice of being on a ventilator for a long term. Dr. Rogers used most every available treatment for COVID-19, but already diminished lung capacity made recovery difficult. Dr. Rogers made the brave decision to move to comfort care only.”

Monk also posted a tribute following Rogers’ death Saturday afternoon on behalf of the board and superintendent.

“We are heart broken over the passing of our leader, Dr. Kent Rogers. We lift his family in our hearts and prayers. Dr. Rogers’ leadership, expertise, and love of learning inspires us beyond words. We will follow his example of service to others and be encouraged by his drive and determination to make the world a better place. The Corsicana Tiger Spirit is bright because of the passionate work of our leader. His legacy will live on forever. We will miss him greatly.”

Friends, colleagues and community members posted tributes to social media over the weekend and the bronze statue of Dr. Rogers in downtown Corsicana became a makeshift memorial where residents lit candles and laid flowers at its feet.

NCOEM Coordinator Eric Meyers wrote: “I will forever be grateful for your wisdom, leadership, and friendship to so many in this county, not only during this pandemic, but in all the areas you have worked in to help others. You were a true servant leader who always put others before yourself.

I am thankful to have had the opportunity for one last check on our operations last night, and will always remember the one who pushed his hardest to keep our community safe. Thank you, Dr. Rogers, for being a man I could call with questions about anything. Your smile, laughter, and sense of humor will be forever missed.”

Fellow physician Robert G. Kingman, MD said:

“Saturday we lost a pillar of our community to COVID-19. We lost the backbone of our health care system. I lost a colleague, a mentor, a friend, and a brother in Christ. Let us honor Dr. Kent Rogers by beating this terrible disease. Please wear your mask, wash your hands, socially distance and get your vaccine as soon as you can. Let's win this one for Kent.”

Dr. Kent Rogers, President served on the Corsicana Independent School District Board of Trustees from 1992 to 2010 and again from 2014 to 2021.

Over 20 years of service on the CISD Board made Dr. Rogers a veteran in more ways than one.

Growing up in Mount Pleasant, one could say being a Tiger was natural. Although he has traded the Mount Pleasant Tigers’ black and gold for the Corsicana Tigers’ blue and gold, a Tiger is a Tiger, and for the past 30 years you could find Dr. Rogers on the sidelines in the fall under the Friday night lights serving as one of the Corsicana Tiger Football team physicians.

Dr. Rogers helped form CARE in the late ‘80s, which drew him to the interworking of the district and an appreciation for the impact boards can have on education and the community. So, he decided to run.

In Corsicana ISD, “…we are emulating the best of America’s notion of a melting pot and blending the best qualities of diverse individuals into a competitive, curious, compassionate world of young adults. This should be and is indeed a mission.”

A bronze statue was unveiled in May 2019 in downtown Corsicana honoring Dr. Kent Rogers.

“The way the community honored Dr. Rogers with a Bronze statue and ceremony underscores the will of Corsicana residents to recognize and celebrate those who give back to make our city better for everyone,” Mayor Don Denbow said. “I have the privilege of taking part in these events as Mayor and I enjoy each of them, but this one was very special to me, after all the years Kent and I stood side by side on the Tiger Field sidelines. I know the examples he taught our student athletes will stay with them for the rest of their lives. They sure have with me.”

As much a part of the community as he is the health care field, Dr. Kent Rogers has been a physician, mentor, friend and supporter of education in Corsicana and Navarro County since 1976.

From his work in private practice and public health, to his decades of volunteer work on the sidelines of Corsicana Tiger football games, Rogers has been a constant in the changing face of medicine in Navarro County.

“It was my heartfelt pleasure on behalf of the City of Corsicana to be a part of the Dr. Kent Rogers Bronze Project,” Parks Director Sharla Allen said. “The committee was wonderful and the donors were very generous. Congratulations to Dr. Rogers on this bronze, it makes our City a better place.”

Born Dec. 8, 1945 in Arkansas City, Kansas, Rogers attended Rice University, and earned his medical degree at UT Southwestern Medical School. He interned at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Following a two year stint in the U.S. Navy, he completed his residency at Parkland Hospital.

For 29 years, Rogers was affiliated with Medical Arts Clinic in Corsicana, serving on the clinic's board of directors in addition to his medical practice. He joined Trinity Clinic in 2005, and Medical and Surgical Associates of Corsicana in 2009. Rogers was chief of staff at Navarro Regional Hospital for two years, and medical director of the hospital's ICU for six years.

“If I had it to do all over again, I'd hire him twice,” stated the late Dr. Louis Gibson, head of Corsicana's Medical Arts Clinic, in a magazine article about Rogers.

In addition to his private practice, Rogers served the community as medical director of Heritage Oaks Retirement Village and the Corsicana/Navarro County Health Department. Rogers said the building of the current facility for the Health Department was a demonstration of the generosity and determination of the people and the city, working for the good of the residents of Navarro County.

You could also find Rogers on the sidelines at Tiger Field in Corsicana as team physician for the Tiger football program. Rogers said he loved the games and the excitement.

“Educating the children makes us a better country, a better democracy – it makes life better in this country,” Rogers once quoted.

Dr. Rogers and his wife Donna Jo have three children: Cyndi, Susan and Mark.