Rogers, Lorene

Lorene Lane Rogers (1914-2009), biochemist, professor, administrator, and former president of the University of Texas, was born in Prosper, Texas, on April 3, 1914. She studied English at North Texas State Teachers College, where she met her husband Burl Rogers, a biochemist. The couple moved to New Jersey when Burl got a job with a chemical company. However, in 1941, an explosion in the laboratory killed Burl.

Inspired by her late husband’s interest, Rogers pursued a master’s degree in organic chemistry and a doctorate in biochemistry at the University of Texas, enrolling in 1942 and graduating in 1946. After teaching chemistry at Sam Houston State University for two years (1947-1949), Rogers returned to UT in 1949 as a researcher at the Clayton Foundation Biochemical Institute. She was promoted to assistant director of the Institute in 1957. In 1962, she applied for a professorship in the chemistry department, but the department rejected her application due to her gender. Instead, Rogers obtained a position as a nutrition professor in the department of home economics. From 1962 until 1964, when she was appointed Associate Graduate Dean, Rogers worked half time in the department of home economics and half time at the Clayton Foundation.

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