Elizabeth B. Chambers Rodgers – Military Spouse

Newspaper account of September 6, 1944:

The widow of John Augustus Rodgers, and mother of Commander John Rodgers, one of the pioneers of Naval Aviation, died (age 88) at her home near Harve de Grace, Maryland, the Associated Press reported today. She died at Zion Hill, the Rodgers Family estate for more than 100 years.

A native of Pittsburgh, she was a member of one of the most famous Naval families in American history. She was well known in Washington, where he husband was stationed at the Navy Yard.

Commander Rodgers was the hero of an unsuccessful flight from San Francisco to Hawaii in 1925. His seaplane came down in mid-ocean and he and his crew were rescued after keeping the plane afloat for more than 9 days. He was killed the following year when a plane he was piloting plunged into the Delaware River near the Philadelphia Navy Yard.

Two other sons are also dead. They were Alexander Rodgers, who died while on an expedition into the Alaskan wilds and Robert Perry Rodgers, one of the co-designers of the Wright Memorial at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

Admiral Rodgers was appointed to the United States Naval Academy by President Lincoln in 1863. He was one of the pioneers in the use of wireless telegraphy to Navy needs. Besides his tour in Washington, he was commandant of the Navy Yard at Puget Sound, Washington.”

She is buried with many members of the family in Section 1 of Arlington National Cemetery.

Michael Robert Patterson

Michael Robert Patterson was born in Arlington and is the son of a former officer of the US Army. So it was no wonder that sooner or later his interests drew him to American history and especially to American military history. Many of his articles can be found on renowned portals like the New York Times, Washingtonpost or Wikipedia.

Reviewed by: Michael Howard