April 2, 2007

Little Rock (Pulaski County) native and Horace Mann graduate James Ronald Rodgers Sr. attained a number of important firsts in his life. He was the first African American appointed as manager of a major commercial airport (Little Rock Regional), the first black head of a major independent city agency, and the first black commercial loan officer in the state. He served as airport manager from 1981 until his death in 1993. He was inducted into the Arkansas Aviation Hall of Fame in 1994.