John Bush Rogers, Jr. '63
(Year Awarded--1998)

When John Rogers came to Davidson, he did so with the intention of entering the ministry. He knew in his mind that he wanted to serve in the Church, but it was in the Davidson classroom that he felt a calling in his heart. Embracing education with open arms and an open mind, he was a Charles A. Dana Honor Scholar, a member of both the Omicron Delta Kappa Society and the Honor Court, and a diligent student with a growing hunger for Biblical knowledge. This quest for knowledge has yet to be satiated.

As a Davidson graduate he continued on in his studies at Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, where he received his Bachelor of Divinity in 1967, Master of Theology in 1968, and Doctor of Ministry in 1977. Not only was he a dedicated student, but he was, and is, a devoted pastor. He first nurtured the congregation of First Presbyterian Church in Durham, North Carolina, and subsequently came to Davidson where he served as pastor of Davidson College Presbyterian Church for six years. He was called then to First Presbyterian Church in Shreveport, Louisiana, where he remained for sixteen years. In 1995 he came back to North Carolina where he now serves in Charlotte as the pastor at Covenant Presbyterian Church.

His sensitive and thought provoking words shared from the pulpit each week have not been limited to his own congregation. Rather, he has shared his abundance of knowledge and experience with others through his two books, The Birth of God -- Recovering the Mystery of Christmas and In Him Is Life -- How Christ Meets Our Deepest Needs. He has devoted his life to the church and to the people in those congregations which he has served.

Because you have shared and continue to share your Biblical knowledge and insight from your pulpit and with all those you come in contact, and because you make us proud to claim you as our own, the Alumni Association of Davidson College proudly honors you, John Bush Rogers, Jr., and names you the recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award on the occasion of your 35th Reunion.