I graduated in 1969 and returned to the family farm at Edgeley, Sk., 50kms NE of Regina , near Fort Qu’Appelle. It didn’t work out so I returned to UofM to take a Masters of Ag Economics.Sheila Ade, one of the few women in the Faculty of Agriculture, and I were married in 1970. In 1971 I accepted a position with the External Affairs Deparment as a Canadian Trade Commissioner and we moved to Ottawa in June.
Our first child, Katherine, was born in June 1972 but died 2 days later. We had been offered a posting to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Two months later we thought that accepting it would help us move on. But on arrival in August Sheila went into severe post partum depression. We returned 9 days later.
On return from Brazil I worked in the Grain Marketing Office of Industry Trade and Commerce for a few months but felt I had been blackballed for returning from my posting. After a job search I accepted a position with Saskatchewan Agriculture as a Marketing Specialist working on trade policy, marketing systems, and farm outlook forecasting. We moved to Regina in February 1973.
In December 1973 I changed jobs to work in Saskatchewan Industry and Commerce in the Trade Branch as a Trade Consultant. There I Chaired a committee which produced Saskatchewan’s first position paper on trade policy, and was advised by the well known Saskatchewan born agricultural economist, Dr. Andrew Schmidt, from Berkley University in California. Apart from that I promoted exports with the agriculture, food, and agricultural equipment sectors. In an analysis of the Saskatchewan agricultural equipment industry I noted that industry had barely touched their potential in the USA market and recommended more promotion of the industry in the USA. The Regina Leaderpost lauded the study in a lead editorial.
Sheila and I adopted our first child, Jane, in 1974 and moved into our first house in 1975. We adopted our second child, John, in 1977. We became good friends with Bruce and Elaine Smith and Rick and Merrianne Holm, who were also in Regina at the time.
In 1976 I accepted a position with Saskatchewan Consumer Affairs as Director of Planning and Policy Analysis. There, with a staff of 4-5, we coordinated the production and passage of consumer related legislation, prepared policy papers on food regulation, Bank disclosure regulations, competition policy, gasoline prices, milk pricing, food price monitoring (working briefly with Dr. Grant Devine before his political career began), and rent control policy.
After the children started school, Sheila went back to University and graduated in 1984 receiving a BA with Distinction in Religious Studies. She decided to become an Anglican priest and was accepted into the College of Emmanuel and St. Chad for a Master of Divinity program at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon. I returned to my Trade Commissioner vocation again by accepting a position at the International Trade Center of the Department of Regional Industrial Expansion. We moved to Saskatoon in August 1984. (In December 2003 our work group was transferred to the newly created Department of International Trade Canada.)
Soon after arriving in Saskatoon our marriage began to break up. Sheila and I separated in 1985 and divorced in 1986. Sheila married John Flynn, a professor at Emmanuel and St. Chad in 1987. They now live in Duncan, BC.
I married my current wife Rose (Pietrucha-Boisvert) in 1990. Rose had two teenage children, Shawna 19 and Vern 18, who joined my children, Jane 16 and John 13. We bought a larger home at 1534 McKercher Drive in Saskatoon where we still live. We made ends meet at that time, despite alimony, support payments, and high interest rates, by Rose operating a daycare in our home until 1995. By 1996 our four children had grown up and moved out. Then marriages began with Shawna to John Hignett in 1992, Jane to Carter Marshall in 2000, Vern to Teresa Bradley in 2002, and John to Jolene Tarasoff in 2008. After the marriages the grandchildren began arriving: Shawna and John had Jonathon in 1993, Breann in 1998, and Mark in 2000. Vern and Teresa had Luke in 2004, and Matthew in 2005. Jane and Carter had Lane in 2005 and Kendra in 2009, and John and Jolene had Madisyn in 2009. Jane and Carter are expecting another in April 2011. Rose and I remain in our modest home, soul partners and enjoying all aspects of life together, and our large and growing family who all live nearby.
My work provided many opportunities to travel the world, and work with industry associations. I travelled often to places throughout Canada and the USA, participated in a technical mission to India, Pakistan and Bangladesh in 1990, and organized a group of agricultural equipment manufacturers to attend the SIMA agricultural show in Paris in 1991. Rose accompanied me to Zimbabwe in 1998 for a 3 month secondment with the Canadian Embassy in Harare, to Trois Pistoles, Quebec (the ancestral home of my mother’s family) in 2001 for a 5 week French immersion course, and to Poland in September 2003 for a 7 week assignment at the Cdn Embassy in Warsaw. Working with industry associations I served on the boards of the agricultural equipment, software, exporter, and environmental industry groups. The Regina Exhibition Association gave me an award for my "Outstanding Contribution" in the develpment of the International Business Centre at the Western Canada Farm Progress show in Regina.
During and after each of my assignments Rose and I visited relatives and friends and went on weekend excursions. After the Zimbabwe assignment we visited my distant relatives in England, and after the Poland trip we visited Rose’s relatives in Ukraine and Germany.
These days, we support each other in attending our churches alternate weeks (when in town). Rose volunteers at Holy Spirit RC church and support St. Mark's Anglican church. Rose organizes ecumenical activities, serves and does hospital visiting for the Catholics. I am the Secretary for the Anglican Integrity group which supports the full inclusion of gay and lesbians in the church and society. We both enjoy and often babysit the younger of our 8, soon to be 9 grandchildren. To the chagrin of some friends, she loves homemaking, clenaing, and especially meals of celebration and creating decorating themes in our home for the seasons and events of the year. I am the aggie, the yard man.
Growing up on the family farm established in 1882 and being exposed to much family history and heirlooms, and visiting relatives in many countries around the world, have created a strong hobby interest in genealogy and writing family and community history for me. These interests coupled with reasonable computer skills and digital video and photography, have led me into creating DVD movies for family and friends, web sites, and photo albums. Both Rose and I support Gay and Lesbian (also known as GLBTT) rights through membership in PFLAG http://www.pflagcanada.ca/ and Integrity/Saskatoon http://www.integritysaskatoon.blogspot.com/ a group promoting equality and justice for gays and lesbians in the Anglican church and in society.
While I had planned to work until age 65 in 2011, the classic negative bureaucratic treatment of longstanding employees led to my departure at age 59 in 2005. This turned out to be a positive turn of events, as both Rose and I have been delighted with our life together in retirement. We travel, read, and nap at wil. Last fall, we did our 'around the world in 80 days' trip from September 1 to Noovembner 20 travelling to Ukraine, Poland, Germany France, England, Italy, a cruise from Venice to Florida, a visit with my brother Barry and Kaare in Florida, and a drive home with my other brother, Jim and Judy.
We enjoy life here in Saskatoon and have a modest fully upgraded home with four bedrooms, ie room for guests.
If you are coming through Saskatoon please contact us for a visit. We will invite you to stay with us. Best wishes to all 1969 Ag Grads and friends
Tom and Rose Rogers
1534 McKercher Dr.Saskatoon, SK. TEL: 306-373-5165, EMAIL: rogerstr@shaw.ca
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