Rodgers speaks of how he came to enroll at IWU (from his home in St. Louis), racism as well as kindness he encountered in Bloomington, and jobs he held as the sole provider of his expenses at school during the Depression. He also describes research he conducted while a student and how he went to the University of Minnesota for his Master's work prior to being drafted in World War II and the Ph.D. in Psychology he received from New York University afterwards. Virginia Rodgers speaks briefly about her Nursing education in Maryland. The two eventually settled in Flint, MI where Dr. Rodgers worked in psychology clinics, taught in a community college and became active in the NAACP.

Edelbert Rodgers, Illinois Wesleyan University Class of 1933 is the subject of this interview. His wife Virginia is also present and speaks briefly. The location is their home at the North Oak Retirement Facility in Pikesville, MD. The interviewer is believed to be Yvonne Jones and she states this is being conducted as part of the Dr. Edelbert Rodgers Minority Alumni Research Project for Illinois Wesleyan University on November 17, 1999.
A transcript of this interview is available and linked above and to the right. An abstract is available below.
After being digitized from a VHS original, the copy linked here was edited to improve visual quality. At approximately 30 minutes of recorded time, a change in the room's lighting makes the subjects more visible. An unedited master of the digital file is available from IWU's University Archives. Contact archives@iwu.edu or 309-556-1535.
Further resources about Dr. Rodgers include:1) A profile of his campus visit in the Minority Alumni Network (MAN) Spring 2001 newsletter The Voice,2) A bio published in the Founders' Day Convocation program when he received an Honorary Doctorate,3) An obituary in the Summer 2001 edition of MAN's The Voice, and4) Several more links and a few photographs compiled from other archival sources.