After spending his early years taking care of his younger siblings, James Earl Rodgers ’75a, ’81 H&HD knew he wanted to be a police officer. But Rodgers couldn’t have guessed how successful he’d become—the first Black police chief of Pottstown, Pa., and a community trailblazer.

When he was 12, his parents separated and Rodgers had to grow up quickly, sometimes helping his mom, Leola, work as a housekeeper or pick cotton. That upbringing taught him responsibility, respect, and a need for stability, says Rodgers’ sister, Mary Bradshaw. When he was 13, Leola moved the family closer to relatives in Pottstown, where she stressed to her children the importance of education and faith.

Rodgers served in the U.S. Air Force and Reserve, then spent six years on the Pottstown police force before leading as police chief from 1974 to 1991, a term that began during the civil rights movement. Johnny Corson, Pottstown’s NAACP president, says Rodgers’ diplomacy, communication skills, and friendly manner helped him connect disparate communities. “He was our bridge over troubled waters,” Corson says.

Known for a love of cowboy culture—he wore a cowboy hat and sometimes rode a horse in town—Rodgers also updated the department’s technology and communications systems and created programs in crisis intervention and police education with local schools. His many honors included the department’s medal of valor and recognition by the International Association of Police Chiefs. Upon retirement, he helped low-income families get affordable housing.

Rodgers, 89, died April 9, 2024, in King of Prussia, Pa. Besides his sister, survivors include his wife, Alta; daughter Carmelia Williams, sons James Jr., Vernon, Timothy, and Don Jose Henderson Sr.; and one brother. —Meri-Jo Borzilleri