McAllen, Hidalgo County
(March 7, 1889 - July 5, 1956) Daring stunt pilot "Slats" Rodgers developed a childhood interest in kites into a career in aviation that included barnstorming, bootlegging, arms smuggling, payroll flying and crop dusting. He built his first aircraft, known as "Old Soggy No. 1," in 1912 and later flew surplus World War I aircraft. Never one to abide by the rules, Slats was fined many times by the Civil Aeronautics Administration for illegal stunts and was refused his pilot's license until he settled his fines. His crop dusting business took him to the lower Rio Grande valley in the 1930s, where he made his home for many years. He died of natural causes in McAllen and is buried in Laurel Hills Cemetery in Mission. (2001)