OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla.–Florence Rogers, the credit union CEO who survived the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building that killed 18 of the CU’s employees, has died. Ms. Rogers was 88.
Rogers, who was nicknamed “Mother Goose” in the wake of the bombing for her efforts to help others, was president of what was then Federal Employees Credit Union and was conducting a meeting in the CU’s third floor offices on April 19, 1995, when the bombing occurred at 9:02 a.m. Central Time. The blast killed 168 people, including 19 children.
Rogers was found at the bottom of the collapsed building buried under debris. Seven of the people who had been participating in the meeting were killed.
In the wake of the bombing, credit unions from across Oklahoma and even the U.S. helped to restore operations and keep FECU operating.
An Unfortunate Twist
As CUToday.info reported here, in an unfortunate twist, the Monday morning meeting marked Rogers’ first day back from vacation, having just taken a Caribbean cruise, and she was eager to share pictures. Afterward, she would recall a last-minute decision had been made to move the meeting from the board room on the north side of the building to her own office on the south.
The reason for the move? A printer wasn’t working, so Rogers said she moved the meeting in order to be able to read a checklist from the screen of the computer sitting on an office credenza.
After recovering from her injuries, Rogers remained active in credit unions and in the local community, sharing her story and those of others.
‘Led Us Through Dark Times’
Amy Downs, who also survived the bombing and who is CEO of what is now called Allegiance Credit Union, said in a Facebook post, “Florence led us through the darkest of times, and we emerged stronger on the other side, thanks to her unwavering leadership. She earned the nickname Mother Goose because although she was tough, she loved all her employees and treated them as if they were her own. She will be greatly missed, but her legacy of strength and compassion will continue to inspire us.”
In remarks to news outlet KOCO, Downs added, “I talked to her about a month and a half ago and we had a long conversation for about an hour, and I knew that she had been struggling with her health and she told me she said, ‘You know, it won’t be long and I’m going to join…the other 18.’”
A ’Force’
Kari Watkins, president and CEO of the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum, told KOCO that Rogers was “a force.”
“I talked to several ... families yesterday just letting them know and I think she was such a force, people thought she would be here forever. That’s why the museum is here. To teach the story beyond all of our lives. We’ll always tell Florence’s stories and the people who worked with her and know her will always have that impact that she made to them.”
A video of Rogers recalling that day and telling her story can be viewed here.
Rogers joined the credit union in 1964 and was appointed office manager in 1971. She was named president and CEO in 1983, a role she held until her retirement in 1997.
Rogers was named to the Cornerstone Credit Union League Hall of Fame in 2016.
In Remembrance
The credit union employees who were killed were Woodrow Brady, Kimberly Burgess, Katherine Anne Finley, Jamie Genzer, Sheila Gigger Driver, Linda Housley, Robbin Ann Huff, Christi Jenkins, Alvin Justes, Valerie Koelsch, Kathy Leinen, Claudette Meek, Frankie Merrell, Jill Randolph, Claudine Ritter, Christine Rosas, Sonja Sanders, Karan Shepherd, Victoria Texter, Virginia Thompson, and Tresia Worton. Two of the victims, Sheila Gigger Driver and Robbin Ann Huff, were pregnant at the time of their deaths.
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