Will Rogers In 1947, a college football bowl game was named in his honor, but the event folded after the first year. The Academy of Western Artists, based in Gene Autry, Oklahoma, presents an annual Will Rogers Medallion award for excellence in western literature. The Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun is the name of an 80-foot observation tower on Cheyenne Mountain west of Colorado Springs, at the base of Pikes Peak near the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. Rogers's California home, stables, and polo fields are preserved today for public enjoyment as Will Rogers State Historic Park in Pacific Palisades. His widow, Betty,
Will Rogers Jr. his ranch at Tubac, Arizona. In poor health after suffering several strokes, having heart problems, and having had hip replacements, Rogers committed suicide in 1993 at the age of 81. He was buried next to his wife in the Tubac Cemetery. Rogers was survived by his two adopted sons and his brother, James Rogers. Will Rogers Jr. William Vann Rogers, generally known as Will Rogers Jr. (October 20, 1911 – July 9, 1993), was a son of legendary humorist Will Rogers (1879–1935) and his wife, the former Betty Blake (1879–1944). He was a Democratic U. S. Representative from California from