Will Rogers, Jr., son of the humorist and grandson of Cherokee leader Clem Vann Rogers, has been given a temporary appointment as Special Assistant to Indian Commissioner Robert L. Bennett, it was announced today by Secretary of the Interior Stewart L. Udall. Rogers took the oath of office September 18.
Udall noted that Rogers has been serving as a consultant to the Interior Department's Bureau of Indian Affairs and "both Commissioner Bennett and I have been tremendously impressed with his knowledge of and concern for Indian problems and his ability to work with all kinds of Indian groups and inspire them to new efforts and insights."
Bennett said that Rogers would spend considerable time working with students and teachers in Bureau schools, and would represent the Commissioner at meetings of tribal organizations, exhibits, festivals and other events.
Rogers, 55, is a graduate of Stanford University and has been a Congressman, newspaper publisher, Army officer during World War II, motion picture actor, television commentator, writer and California State Parks Commissioner. He has homes in Los Angeles, and Tubac, Ariz. His wife, the former Collier Connell, helped found Arrow, Inc. an Indian interest organization. The couple has an adopted son, Clem, a full-blood Navajo, and a second son, Carlos.
