Doyle Rogers
Bank owner and visionary real estate developer Doyle W. Rogers Sr. died early Monday in his sleep at his home in Batesville. He was 94.
Susie Smith, senior executive vice president of Rogers’ Metropolitan National Bank of Little Rock, said there was no specific cause of death other than his advanced age.
“He had a great, long life,” she said.
He is survived by his wife, Josephine Raye Jackson Rogers; two children, Doyle “Rog” Rogers Jr. and Barbara Rogers Hoover; six grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements were not settled by late morning.
Rogers was among 25 “Living Legends” recognized in Arkansas Business’ 25th anniversary publication in 2009. Here’s how he was described in that publication:
“Dreaming up ideas has never been a problem for Doyle Rogers. He also has a history of following through. He founded the Doyle Rogers Co. more than 50 years ago. The Little Rock skyline is dotted with his daydreams. The idea for the current Peabody Little Rock and Statehouse Convention Center came about around 1978. By 1982, Rogers’ vision became reality with the opening of the Excelsior Hotel and the adjacent convention center.
“In 1985, Rogers began work on what is now the Stephens Inc. building. And his bank, Metropolitan National Bank, has the naming rights to Little Rock’s largest building. Rogers purchased Metropolitan Bancshares in 1983 for $60 million. …Rogers was inducted into the [University of] Arkansas Business Hall of Fame in 2006.”
Rogers was born at Diaz (Jackson County) on Oct. 20, 1918. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II and began his real estate career in 1953.
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