From 1947 through 1956 my parents sponsored the Roy Rogers Annual School Safety Awards in cooperation with Farmers Insurance Group Safety Foundation and the National Safety Council.
Elementary schools across the country submitted scrapbooks filled with the ideas of their students. The scrapbooks were filled with drawings, pictures and lists of suggestions for safety procedures to be enacted at their schools.
Hundreds of schools participated. The submissions were judged by a panel of experts and were winnowed down to ten scrapbooks. Then a panel of celebrities judged the final ten scrapbooks and picked the top three winners. Each of those schools would receive a statuette of Trigger. Mom and Dad would then travel to the top two schools and present them with their awards.
It would sure be nice if some current celebrities would take on something positive like this.
The 1953 panel of judges included Mom (Dale Evans), Gale Storm, Mona Freeman, Dad and Barbara Hale.
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Not only were the Roy Rogers Annual School Safety Awards a fine public service but the trophies themselves have become cherished by collectors and fans. There were a number of different versions, the two most desired are the large and medium sized ones sculpted by Estes Tarter. Both are pricey when they turn up on web auction sites. They feature a removable saddle, tapaderos, and wire reins. Roy Rogers and Dale Evans made presentations to the winning schools. Each received a large golden Trigger statue and complete three-dimensional projection equipment for classroom use.
This is a wonderful story and photos about your parents Cheryl ! Thank you so much for sharing with us so many wonderful things about your Godly parents. God bless you !
Wonderful. How I remember some of those days in school. Good Citizens Awards, celebrating Abe Lincoln and George Washington ‘ s birthday on their birthdays. Also using construction paper in grade school to try to cut a profile of each one on their day. We were taught about them and respect. As your folks did awarding and arranging or just being involved in the effort of kids to come up with school safety ideas. Wow. Kids being listened to and the excitement and possibility of winning. Your folks weren’t to busy to be involved. Good for them. Great story again Cheryl.