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Show 12 — For the week of October 10, 2008 ST. GEORGE NEIGHBORHOODS The Spectrum — www.thespectrum.com It's good to be By THAYA GILMORE For St. George Neighborhoods WASHINGTON CITY — When the King of the Cowboys and the Queen of the West are your parents, you are then known as the Cowboy Princess. Cheryl Rogers-Barnett is the oldest child and adopted daughter ofRoyand Arline Rogers. After her mother, Arline, died, Roy and Dale were married and Cheryl was raised by them. Cheryl wrote a book about her parents and her growing up years entitled “Cowboy Princess, co-authored with Frank Thompson in 2003. Five years ago, Cheryl and her husband, Larry Barnett, chose to live in Washington City upon moving from Apple Valley, California. Cheryl will be speaking about her life and book on Friday, Oct. 24, at 5 p.m. at The. Book Cellar, 37 East St. George Blvd., St. George. “Cheryl is a national treasure here in this area. She's a local author. We here at The Book Cellar want to bea part of the local community and bring people in to speak to us, like Cheryl. She's an amazing kind person, said Margi La Porte, owner of The Book Cellar. Cheryl doesn't consider herself an outsider biographer of her parents’ lives — she has lived the memories with the lives of her parents which are vivid in her mind. She wants people to know about her folks and what they were like. “Larry and I tried to write the book together. However, Larry's writing is an expository and technical writing Dusty (Roy Jr.) had already written a book about his life with Roy and Dale (entitled Growing Up With Roy and Dale, 1986). One day my sisters and I were talking about — the situations in his book and wondered why he remembered the same events differently than we remem~ bered them. We realized that each one of us had different thoughts and insights into the same events. We agreed that all six of us could write Submitted photo a different book about these same events, Cheryl Rogers-Barnett and Another reason for writher husband Larry. ing the book came from Dale. “Mom encouraged me (style) due to his profession working for Defense for to write the book. She told : me, ‘Youre the only one of many years. On the other hand, I never thought of the children who rememmyself as a writer. In fact, I bered Dad working in the studios: The other kids didn't couldn't get off the dime. My know him in the movies. For memories didn't come in the order that Larry outlined for instance, the next oldest child, Linda Lou, was three me. I am grateful that Larry years younger than me and had already gotten my mom she didn’t remember seeing to write the foreword of the Dad on the big screen’ book before she died’ Cheryl writes about what Cheryl mentioned her plight of the book writing to it was like to have famous parents. “I rather enjoyed Leonard Maltin, a TV movie it, especially meeting the critic and a friend, while ‘she and Larry were having people I did. I’met several stars while doing charity dinner with him. “I. asked work with them. Our life was Leonard if he could help me always interesting and excitget the book done. Leonard ing. I got to go places with suggested that I contact Frank Thompson, who co- my parents and meet people in the entertainment and authored “The Lone Ranger” political world that I never Clayton Moore's biography. would have met. One time After two meetings with Frank, the book was done in we stayed in the Governor's Mansion in Tennessee: a couple of months, printed There was only one proband out in six months. I was lem that Cheryl regrets in thrilled to have it done’ There were several rea- having a famous parent. She sons why Cheryl wanted to never got to go on daddy/ write a book about her life daughter activities. “That was a drawback for me. Dad with Roy and Dale. was so recognizable and “My younger brother, Submitted Cheryl Rogers appears, ina promotional photo with her famous Sacha: Roy Rogers. popular, he would have been _ California, where they the Pioneers on the radio mobbed. We couldn't do anystayed with Roy’s sister and in 1933. worked in the fruit fields. Dale was a radio singer thing in public. I understood, and then a band singer. “It but I was a kid wanting to Then Roy and his dad went have my dad there? back and got his mother and was music that brought moved to California. Roy them together’ They first To give some background met at Edwards Air Force on the family, Cheryl said played the guitar at some that Roy was born Leonard dances for no pay. Roy's sis- Base in California raising Franklin Slye, on Nov. 5, ter literally pushed him onto bonds for war before Dale 1911, in Duck Run (near the stage for an amateur became Roy’s leading lady. Cincinnati) Ohio. His parents talent show. The result was At that time Roy was marwere Andrew (part Choctaw an offer to join the Rocky ried and so was Dale. Mountaineers Band. There was a lot of tragedy Indian), and Mattie Womack S “After that, Dad started in the ensuing years in their During the Depression, out as a pick-up musician families. Roy had married Arline Wilkens. They wantRoy’s father was laid off, playing in the background and Roy quit the last year in a band. He played with ed children but had several of high school. He and his a lot of different groups father went to Lawndale, before starting the “Sons of e See PRINCESS on pg. 13 |