Garfield Devoe Rogers Sr. (1885-1951) was an entrepreneur, community leader and philanthropist in Tampa and Bradenton, Florida.
[3] Coming to Tampa in 1933, Rogers assumed the presidency of the life insurance firm which then had assets of approximately $45,000.
[3] For thirty years he served as trustee of the Bethune-Cookman Negro College at Daytona Beach.
Juneteenth celebrations have taken place on the site to commemorate its history and significance to the black community.
Home to cooks, maids, field workers, and teachers, it was close to Ninth Avenue West, a corridor of black businesses, and the Palms of Bradenton on the other side of First Street was showplace for black entertainers like James Brown and Etta James.