James E. Rogers (attorney) facts for kids

James E. Rogers (September 15, 1938 – June 14, 2014) was an American businessman and a former lawyer. He was known for his work in television broadcasting. He also gave a lot of money to schools and universities. The James E. Rogers College of Law at the University of Arizona is named after him.

About James E. Rogers

His Early Life and Learning

James E. Rogers was born in Louisville, Kentucky. He finished Las Vegas High School in 1956. He went on to earn several degrees. These included degrees in accounting and law from the University of Arizona. He also received a Master of Laws from the University of Southern California.

Rogers was awarded honorary doctorates from many universities. These included the University of Arizona and University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He was also a member of the State Bar Associations in Nevada, Arizona, and California. This meant he was allowed to practice law in those states.

Building a Career in Media

In 1971, James Rogers started his own company called Valley Broadcasting Company. He was the main leader of this company from 1979 until 2014. His company owned and operated television stations. One of these was KVBC-TV (now KSNV), the NBC channel in Las Vegas.

Rogers' company, Sunbelt Communications Company, grew very large. It later became known as Intermountain West Communications Company. This company owned many NBC and Fox TV stations. These stations were located in states like Nevada, Arizona, Idaho, and Wyoming. Rogers stopped working as a lawyer in 1988. He wanted to spend all his time growing his television and radio businesses.

Helping Others Through Giving

James Rogers was a strong supporter of education. He and his wife, Beverly, gave large amounts of money to different colleges and universities. Their gift to the University of Arizona College of Law was very significant. It totaled $115 million. Because of this generous gift, the law school was renamed the James E. Rogers College of Law in 1998.

Rogers also supported other schools in the areas where his TV stations operated. He gave money to the University of Nevada, Reno's Engineering College. He also supported the UNLV College of Law in Las Vegas. He helped the Idaho State University Foundation as well. His company even built a building for Great Basin Community College in Elko, Nevada. This building was used for TV studios and communications classes.

Family Life

James E. Rogers was married to Beverly Barlow. He had three children from a previous marriage: Suzanne Rogers Plant, Kimberly Rogers Cell, and Perry Rogers. He also had eight grandchildren.

Before he passed away in 2014, he announced that his wife, Beverly, would take over his television stations. Later, the main station was sold to another company. This led to Intermountain West Communications Company no longer operating.