ROGERS, Franklin

O. Franklin Rogers, President and CEO Southern Engineering.

"My friend Franklin had a wicked sense of humor. Born and raised in a postage stamp town in rural Georgia, he had the unassuming manner and warm smile of someone who could charm you out of your life savings, and you'd willingly part with it while offering to carry it to his car. He could spin a yarn in his languid julep of a voice about nothing in particular and still have you sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for the punchline."

- An excerpt written by Monica C. Parker about the deceased from her book The Power of Wonder.

O. Franklin Rogers, 90, made his transition on March 20, 2024, after living many years with Alzheimer's.

Initially attending Emory, he transferred to Georgia Tech, where he received his degree in Industrial Engineering. While there, he was sometimes confused with another more well-known Franklin Rogers—Franklin Cullen "Pepper" Rodgers, the football legend—but by name only. After spending four years in the Navy at the end of the Korean War, where he was the supply officer on the USS Saipan aircraft carrier, he returned to Atlanta and was hired by Southern Engineering Company. He worked at Southern for over 40 years, eventually becoming its President and CEO, and through his stewardship, the company flourished.

At Southern, Franklin worked with investor-owned electric companies, municipal systems, and more rural electric cooperatives than any other firm. Under his leadership, Southern also introduced architecture services. Southern's architects for many years designed more schools in Georgia than any other architect—a fact that Franklin was very proud of.

Franklin was a numbers guy who acted as a consultant and negotiator on power supply, rate, economic, legislative, anti-trust, and regulatory matters for not just electric utilities but also governmental agencies, including the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and, for the most part, rural and electric cooperatives throughout the country and many of their associations, including GEMC and the national association NRECA.

Franklin frequently traveled to DC to testify before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as an expert witness on electrical matters like rate setting and territorial safeguards. At one point, he appeared more often than any other non-staff witness.

He attended Emory Law School at night because he said he thought he should learn to write a good contract and, equally as important, how to recognize a bad one. When rural electric coops were having their customers infringed on by municipals and Georgia Power, together with his friend, Jim Brim, he wrote and assisted in the passage and implementation of the Georgia Territorial Electric Service Act, which delineated the areas served by the different electric power entities. Jim lobbied the legislature while Franklin spoke with then-Governor Jimmy Carter, telling him how important his support was to the rural utilities. Gov. Carter was swayed by Franklin's passion, as he gave his support and the bill passed.

On the one hand, Franklin's ire could be challenged when he felt necessary, and he once scaled a conference table and walked down its length to make a point to a person on the other end. On the other hand, Franklin left Sandersville behind but never lost the intrinsic values of his small-town upbringing. If you could describe the quintessential Southern Gentleman, he was Franklin. He remembered his many aunts' birthdays with flowers and sent them pecans at Christmas. He was a single father to his three children for many years and was often a tower of strength for countless other people, even amid his own occasional personal and professional turmoil. He loved his work, but he also loved people and championed others.

Franklin's loved-ones were thrilled when he found his wife and soul partner, Catherine, later in life (they had assumed Stevie Nicks would always be his one true love.) Catherine and Franklin had 27 years together, enjoying traveling, theater, Georgia Tech sports, and each other.

For decades, Franklin had season tickets to the Braves, Falcons, and Georgia Tech basketball and football. Though he never considered himself athletic, he played tennis many weekends, and he was such a good swimmer in the Navy that they had him teach recruits how to swim underwater longer. He was a skier and scuba diver and loved to take his family on trips to enjoy those sports. Franklin also relished playing bridge weekly with the same friends he had in college.

He is survived by his wife, Catherine; children, Randy Rogers, Kathy Parker, and Ric Rogers; stepchildren, Phil Bienert and Monica Parker; grandchildren, Ashley Rogers, Elizabeth Nissen, and Dylan Rogers, Caroline and John Franklin Rogers, Zoe and Mirabel Bienert; great-grandchildren, Charlotte, Bennett, Robin, and Theo; his sister, Betty Mix; and many English Family and other cousins, not to mention the hundreds found on Family Tree DNA. He was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Eloise English Rogers.

The family would like to thank his loving caregivers, Henrietta and Joseph Barr and Jazz Merceda who offered Franklin care, comfort, and love in his last years.

Donations can be made to the Alzheimer's Association.

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