Will Rogers: A Centennial Tribute Page: 18
This book is part of the collection entitled: Oklahoma Historical Society Monographs and was provided to The Gateway to Oklahoma History by the UNT Libraries.
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Clem Rogers' house, the birthplace of Will Rogers (Courtesy of the author's
private collection).
him. He preferred to ride horses and to practice with the lariat which would
later make him famous. Unhappy at Drumgoole, Will was allowed to
attend another school, Harrell Institute in Muskogee, a girl's school. His
parents thought that his exposure to the fairer sex would tame him, civilize
him. But as had been the case at Drumgoole, he was in constant difficulty
because he teased his classmates. In 189o, tragedy struck the Rogers house-
hold. Will's mother, Mary America, died, a loss Will always felt keenly.6
In 1892 he enrolled at Willie Halsell Institute at Vinita, only thirty miles
from the family ranch. Will felt comfortable at Halsell because many mixed-
bloods like himself attended the school. After four years at Halsell, Will
was sent to Scarritt Collegiate Institute at Neosho, Missouri, then in 1897
to Kemper Military School at Boonville, Missouri. Clem hoped the school's
discipline would benefit his son.?
On January 13, 1897, Will arrived at Kemper wearing a ten-gallon hat
with a braided horsehair cord, a flannel shirt, a red bandana handkerchief,
6 Will Rogers biographical files, WRRP.
7 Ibid.
18
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Will Rogers: A Centennial Tribute (Book)
Compilation of biographical stories about Will Rogers in Oklahoma, discussing his career, roots, and actions during his lifetime. Index starts on page 144.
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Gibson, Arrell Morgan. Will Rogers: A Centennial Tribute, book, 1979; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (https://gateway.okhistory.org/ark:/67531/metadc862884/m1/28/: accessed April 23, 2024), The Gateway to Oklahoma History, https://gateway.okhistory.org; .