Dr. Hugh Irmon Rodgers

Dr. Hugh I. Rodgers, former Chair of the Department of History, Columbus State University and a resident of Columbus since 1967, died on November 6, 2024, age 90. Memorial services will be held at Trinity Episcopal Church, 1130 1st Ave. Columbus, GA 31901 on Tuesday, November 12, 2024 at 11:00 AM. His remains will be interred in the church columbarium. The family will receive friends at a reception in the parish hall after the service.

Dr. Rodgers was born July 17, 1934, in Brewton, Alabama, the son of the late Henry Hilborn Rodgers and Bessie Lee Smith Rodgers. He graduated from the University of Alabama and after service in the US Army 3rd Armored Division in Germany, he earned a Ph.D. degree in European history at the University of Texas (Austin). He married the former Sandra Elizabeth Lester of Dadeville, Alabama, in 1966.

During an academic career of thirty-five years he taught at Andrew College (GA) before joining the Department of History at Columbus College/Columbus State University. He enjoyed many excellent students who took his courses and seminars on modern Europe and in German and Russian history. For several years Dr. Rodgers was faulty advisor to Phi Alpha Theta, the history honor society. He helped with the organization of the Faculty Senate and acted as marshal at the spring graduation ceremonies. His professional work included a book, articles and reviews in historical journals and a grant from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). He served a term as president of the Georgia Association of Historians. In 1998 the CSU Alumni Association elected him Honorary Member

In the 1980s and 1990s he was a member of the Kiwanis Club of Columbus. Dr. Rodgers chaired its T. Hiram Stanley Committee and filled a term on the club’s Board of Managers. He enjoyed membership in the Sons of the American Revolution and was twice elected president of the Coweta Falls Chapter (Columbus); he also held office in the Georgia Society SAR. Dr. Rodgers was a president of the Muscogee Genealogical Society and briefly editor of its journal “Muscogiana”. He was a long-time member of Trinity Episcopal Church and strongly upheld traditional Anglican churchmanship.

After retirement, Dr. Rodgers pursued his hobby of genealogy and compiled extensive records of his own and his wife’s families. As a volunteer in the Genealogy Room of the Columbus Public Library he assisted others with their research. He and his wife Sandra followed the fortunes of the Atlanta Braves and their favorite SEC football teams and often “binge-watched” British dramas and comedies. For most of his life Dr. Rodgers loved music particularly that of the Baroque and classical eras and for more than fifty years attended performances of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. He continued to study history and developed a strong interest in current political and diplomatic developments. Retirement also allowed for interesting travel with his wife Sandra to San Francisco and the California wine country and to music festivals in Aspen, Colorado, and Banf, Canada. A fall trip to New England and then a New England -St Lawrence River cruise took them to Quebec and Montreal. Most memorable were travels in Germany, Austria, Italy, France, and especially England where he and Sandra celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2016.

Other than his parents, he was preceded in death by four brothers and one sister. He is survived by his wife, Sandra Elizabeth Lester Rodgers, and by his son Barton Hugh Rodgers (Nancy), grandchildren, Caroline Carter Rodgers and Charles Hilborn Rodgers, of Chesterfield, Missouri, by a brother, Will J. Rodgers of Brewton, Alabama, and by numerous nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers those desiring may make contributions to the Choir Scholarship Program of Trinity Episcopal Church, 1130 1st Ave., Columbus, GA 31901, or to the CSU Archives, c/o CSU Foundation, 4225 University Ave., Columbus, GA 31907. odgers, age 90, of Columbus, Georgia passed away on Wednesday, November 6, 2024. Hugh was born in Brewton, Alabama.