Every summer that I attended the Washington Butterfly Association Study Weekend, I was certain to have a conversation or two or three with Charles Rogers. I never saw Charles at a field trip, but he was always at the weekend. Sometimes he would drag along a daughter or his wife. More often he was there solo. He was a quiet man with many interests that he loved to talk about.

He worked at Hanford and closely watched for butterflies on the land as he bicycled between his home in Richland and his office. Besides his interest in butterflies, he would also talk about religion and of alien visits to our planet.

Bob Pyle – “Charles made an impact on Washington butterfly studies. He was one of two (along with David James) who had sight records for the variegated fritillary (Euptoieta claudia) in Washington, which led to its acceptance on the state checklist–the first time a state record was validated solely by sight (afterward verified with a voucher by RMP). Later, he was again one of two (along with Ray Stanford) to turn in a probable sight record for the hackberry emperor (Asterocampa celtis). This was not accepted as a state record, but it has inspired several expeditions to try to verify the presence of the species in the state, so far unsuccessful.”

Maureen Traxler – “One of the last times I spoke with him he told me he was writing a book that he thought would change the world. It was being revealed to him as he wrote it. I wish I could remember more of the details about it (though I’m not sure i understood it even then) I wonder if he finished it. I will miss him!”

David James – “I do know he found a Variegated Fritillary while riding his bicycle near the Tri-Cities just a few years ago! He provided a number of other rare butterfly records for WA as well. He was very good at providing me records of the monarchs he spotted in the Tri-Cities. He often spoke to Tanya on WBA trips and shared that like us he had given his three daughters the same middle name: ‘Carina’ which is the name of a constellation in the southern sky! Our daughters of course have the middle name ‘Vanessa’ for the genus of butterflies.”

Richard Youel – “He was a very reliable attendee at the annual conference/weekend and I always had conversation with him. As I got familiar with him I found him to be good humored. I was amazed to read his obituary and see that what he talked about, and I regarded as suspect, was true. His plans for bike paths, his expertise at Hanford, discoveries, achievements, etc. “

https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/18583827/Charles-A-Rogers

Charles A. Rogers was born in Canton, Illinois, on December 22, 1941. His intense curiosity and talents for mathematics and analytical thinking sparked a keen lifelong passion for all things science and nature related. He and his brother Bill roamed the countryside, collecting butterflies and moths. At age 13, he discovered a new comet using just a 3.5″ telescope. In ninth grade, he received a first place in the Illinois State Science Fair for building a 5″ reflector telescope.

https://independent.academia.edu/CharlesRogers18

After his father told him he could not pay for college, Charles was in a dark basement when he asked God what he should do with his life. Immediately, as if projected on a screen, he saw a vision of himself giving a speech to a group of people. A mushroom cloud was seen in the distance. He then resolved that, if he could go to college, he would research the causes of war. In 1959 Charles received a scholarship to Northwestern University.

Charles received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1963 with a major in physics and a Master of Science degree from the University of Illinois in 1964. In 1967 he went to work at the Critical Mass Laboratory at the Hanford Atomic Works in Richland, Washington. In 1970 he became a Nuclear Criticality Safety Specialist in support of the Fast Flux Test Facility. In 1995 he transferred to the High-Level Tank Waste Farms and in 2000 to the Solid Waste Burial Grounds. He retired in 2007. When Mount Saint Helens became active in 1980, Charles became convinced that a major eruption was imminent, and on May 17 he drove to within 15 miles from the mountain. On May 18 he had a ringside seat to see a 12-mile high eruption cloud.

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