Today's podcast is brought to you by Ferguson Home. Whether you're a homeowner working on a remodel or a pro managing multiple projects, Ferguson Home is where great ideas become stunning spaces. My wife and I know firsthand because Ferguson Home was by our side when we built our beautiful house. All of our indoor and outdoor kitchen appliances, most of our kitchen and bathroom hardware came from Ferguson Home. They have the best selection of kitchen, bath, and lighting products, all of which you can find online or you can visit a local Ferguson Home showroom like we did and get one-on-one support from their amazing consultants who are there for us with their expert advice and support.
They'll be there for you too. Go to FergusonHome.com to shop the latest styles from the brands you trust or find a showroom location near you. Where'd you get those shoes?
Easy. They're from DSW because DSW has the exact right shoes for whatever you're into right now. You know, like the sneakers that make office hours feel like happy hour. The boots that turn grocery aisles into runways and all the styles that show off the many sides of you from daydreamer to multitasker and everything in between because you do it all in really great shoes.
Find a shoe for every you at your DSW store or dsw.com. It is Ryan Seacrest here. There was a recent social media trend which consisted of flying on a plane with no music, no movies, no entertainment. But a better trend would be going to Chumbacacino.com. It's like having a mini social casino in your pocket. Chumbacacino has over a hundred online casino style games all absolutely free.
It's the most fun you can have online and on a plane. So grab your free welcome bonus now at Chumbacacino.com. Sponsored by Chumbacacino. No purchase necessary. VGW Group void where prohibited by law.
21 plus terms and conditions apply. This is Lee Habib and this is Our American Stories. The show where America is the star and the American people.
And to search for the Our American Stories podcast, go to the iHeartRadio app or Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. Up next, the story of a name you all know, Roy Rogers told by Roy Dusty Rogers Jr. Dusty has been acting and performing almost since birth. The only natural born son of Roy, he was raised by Roy and his wife, Dale Evans, along with their eight children. Roy and Dale were known to millions of Americans through TV, radio and dozens of beloved western movies. As a small child, Dusty appeared in his parents TV show, The Roy Rogers Show.
Here's Dusty to share the behind the scenes story of what it was like growing up in the home of the king of the cowboys and the queen of the west. People say, well, when did you know your dad was famous? I said, well, I really didn't know he was famous at all until I was probably five. I mean, I went to the movie set with him when I was two. I spent every birthday I can think of from two to five on the movie set with dad. Then all of a sudden the reality came in that this man does something other than just movies.
He's very popular with the populace, with the people. And of course, when we would go out on the road with him, all of a sudden we're surrounded by thousands of people and especially young kids who loved them. And it was a little bit difficult to swallow sometimes. You know, you want your mom and dad yourself. You don't want to share them with anybody, you know, when you're young like that. I mean, wait a minute, that's my mom and dad.
What are you doing, you know? So it was difficult in that way. And I think all of us grew up under that veil of constantly being photographed, constantly being on the road, constantly being Roy and Dale's son or daughter. You know, it didn't matter if you were adopted or not. You were Roy and Dale's son or Roy and Dale's daughter. Dale is my mother. I mean, my biological mother passed away when I was just a few days old.
I never got to know my natural mother. She got an, I was born by cesarean section and she got an embolism in her system, which at the time in the 40s, this was 1946, and they didn't have any way of detecting blood clots. And this blood clot had formed during the cesarean operation. And it just kind of set dormant there in her system because there was no way of detecting them. And they didn't get the ladies up and walk around like they do today after childbirth to help dissolve these clots away.
So this one just set dormant in mom's system for about four days, five days. And when she became more active, so did the clot, it began to move through her system, unbeknownst to anybody. And actually I was on the bed ready to come home. Dad was on his way to get us. And mom just, this embolism hit her heart and just, she just, her eyes rolled back in her head and she just fell back on the bed and was gone that quick.
No indication at all that there was a problem. So, you know, of course for my dad, it was devastating. He has three kids and King of the Cowboys.
And 1946 was the height of the man's career. And then all of a sudden overnight, he finds himself a widower with three young'uns and absolutely nobody in his life at that point to take care of us kids. So he had to really jump on it at a bad time of his life and, and try to get somebody in to take care of us. And he hired nannies to watch out over us. So I never got to know my real mom. And then when I was about a year and a half old, he married Dale and she just kind of stepped in and really took over with us kids. And we just loved her to death.
I mean, all of us did. I think Cheryl had a little bit of a problem with her early on because Cheryl was kind of, she was the first one in the family. Dad adopted her first and because they didn't think that my mom and Roy could have children. So they adopted Cheryl and she was kind of the queen bee. She was the one that, the oldest one and she wanted to be the mom. I mean, she did. She wanted to take care of me and Linda Lou and she just thought she'd step into that role after mommy, what she called her mommy, passed away.
And of course it didn't happen. Dad needed some adults to do it. So, but when she married, when dad married Dale, cause it was kind of funny because Cheryl would always get between Dale and Roy at events and stuff to try to keep them separated. But you know, it was just the good Lord it was meant to be and it didn't work out. But Dale was my mother. I mean, she came in and when I was a year and a half old and all of us kids just loved her to death and I never knew any other mothers. So she, she was, you know, mother means a lot of things to different people. There's your birth mother.
And then of course you don't know much about your mother till you get older. Well, that's where I would, and Dale was my mom by that time. So I couldn't ask for a better one.
Couldn't ask for a better one. Dad was an old country boy and, and things didn't really matter to him and he just, he just loved to hunt and fish and do what he wanted to do. Dale and the westerns, he, dad fit into the westerns just like a pair, you know, like a pair of good boots. Mom didn't, she could care less about the westerns. She was, she was an ingenue. She wanted to be, she wanted to be the big band singer. She came out to California to work in Buzzy Berkeley's musicals and that's what she wanted to do. Big band singer, you know. And they, they sent her out to audition with dad and on a, on a, they were looking for, Fox was, actually Republic was looking for a new leading lady for dad. Someone who could sing, do, do everything. And so they called over to Fox and they said, do you, do you have anybody that might, we need a young leading lady for Roy Rogers.
And they said, well, sure we do. Her name is Dale Evans. And they said, well, the thing is, the thing is she has to be beautiful. She has to sing like a bird and she has to be able to set a horse. She needs to learn to, she needs to be able to ride.
Oh yeah, Dale will fit, she's from Texas, she'll fit the point. Mom had not been on a horse since she was three, four years old on her mom's farm, Ramadan farm. So, but they, and again, the good Lord stepped in, they, and her mom went out to location, you know, dressed to the nines thinking she was going to try out for this music thing.
And she showed up in a long dress and thinking she was going to play. And the next thing they'd know, the director said, Dale, we want you to get up on this horse. We want you to ride to the end of the street and sit there with Roy and Gabby and big boy Williams. And when I throw my hat down, I want you all to ride to the camera. And when you get close, just pull up on your horse and we'll see how you look on horseback.
So she did, she got on a horse. I mean, mom was, mom was a trooper. I mean, like dad said, you can tell a Texan, but not much. You cannot tell Dale she can't do something because she'll just prove you wrong every time. And you're listening to Dusty Rogers tell the story of his mother and father, Roy and Dale Evans.
And my goodness, this happened so often in American life where women would die of complications from childbirth and so many children die. When we return, more of the story of Roy Rogers as told by Roy Dusty Rogers Jr. here on Our American Story. Today's podcast is brought to you by Ferguson Home. Whether you're a homeowner working on a remodel or a pro managing multiple projects, Ferguson Home is where great ideas become stunning spaces. My wife and I know firsthand because Ferguson Home was by our side when we built our beautiful house. All of our indoor and outdoor kitchen appliances, most of our kitchen and bathroom hardware came from Ferguson Home. They have the best selection of kitchen, bath and lighting products, all of which you can find online or you can visit a local Ferguson Home showroom like we did and get one-on-one support from their amazing consultants who are there for us with their expert advice and support. They'll be there for you too.
Go to FergusonHome.com to shop the latest styles from the brands you trust or find a showroom location near you. During tax season, your sensitive info does a lot of traveling to places you can't control. Stopping off at payroll, your accountant or tax preparer and countless other data centers on its way to the IRS. Any of them can expose you to identity theft because they all have the info on your W-2, just the ticket for criminals to steal your identity.
No wonder the IRS reported tax fraud due to identity theft went up 20% last year. You need LifeLock. They monitor millions of data points per second and alert you to threats you could miss. If your identity is stolen, LifeLock's US-based restoration specialists will fix it, backed by the million-dollar protection package. And restoration is guaranteed or your money back. Don't let identity thieves take you for a ride. Get LifeLock protection for tax season and beyond. Join now and save up to 40% your first year.
Call 1-800-LIFELOCK and use promo code IHART or go to lifelock.com slash IHART for 40% off. Terms apply. Clean water access helps kids soak up childhood. Girls can be in class instead of walking hours for water. Kids can be climbing trees and skinning knees instead of being sick with waterborne diseases.
Sponsor a child at worldvision.org slash water for kids and help ensure access to life-changing essentials like clean water. Hi, this is Javon, your Blinds.com design consultant. Oh wow, a real person. Yep, I'm here to help with everything from selecting the perfect window treatments to... Well, I've got a complicated project. No problem. We make the complex simple. I can even help schedule a professional measuring install.
I didn't realize you did that. We can also send you samples fast and free. Wow, I mean, I always thought I needed a designer to come to my home, but scheduling is always a nightmare.
Not with Blinds.com. We're on your schedule and there's no haggling, pressure, or hidden fees either. Hmm, I just might have to do more. Whatever you need. How about you tell me what you had in mind?
Okay then, so the first room we're looking at is for guests coming over and I'm thinking of something. Blinds.com has covered over 25 million windows, all backed by a 100% of the world's highest quality windows. All backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
ShopBlinds.com now and save up to 45% on select styles. Rules and restrictions may apply. Here at Our American Stories, we bring you inspiring stories of history, sports, business, faith, and love. Stories from a great and beautiful country that need to be told.
We can't do it without you. Our stories are free to listen to, but they're not free to make. If you love our stories and America like we do, please go to OurAmericanStories.com and click the donate button. Give a little. Give a lot. Help us keep the great American stories coming.
That's OurAmericanStories.com. And we continue with Our American Stories and with Dusty Rogers telling the story of his mother and father, Roy Ann Dale Evans. Wannabe big band singer Dale first met Roy Rogers in 1944 on the set of a western movie where she was screen tested riding a horse. Let's pick up here with Roy Rogers Jr. again also known as Dusty.
She got on a horse and they took off running and they came to the camera and they guy dropped his hat and they pulled up and when they did the horse just jammed mom into the saddle just I mean just pounded her because she didn't know how to set it right and it broke knocked the caps off of her teeth and big boy Williams horse set on on her teeth after the and they were all jagged and had to shed haven't redone but then the producer said well Dale that that wasn't too bad Roy what do you think and that's it he said I think it was Billy Whitney at the time and he said Billy I swear I have never seen so much sky between a woman's rear end and a saddle in my life but she learned to ride and and that's and I think she did something totally against what she really wanted to do because at that time you did what you needed to do to make money to survive and but she fit in so well and did it did it so well dad he just had to be himself but mom was totally opposite but she learned to adapt and and go along with what the thing was the thing was which was western and cowboy songs and that's way away from big band and big orchestra music but mom was a trooper and just always whatever the situation was she stepped in and said I'm going to do it and and did well she you know I mean after the birth of Tom I'm sure and then of course her husband left her when she was just just young and of course then she was like I said starving and trying to make a career so she I think she she always longed for a child and so when she married Roy and and and they had a chance to to have a child of their own you know they jumped right on it and and then of course when Robin was born and and found out that that she had downs syndrome again it was a shock originally you know I mean you're never ready for that but then it settled in that this is a lovely young human being that's from both of us you know there must be a reason why they didn't know nobody knew at that time what caused downs and they recommended that they put her in an institution the doctor said you need to put her in an institution and dad said are you kidding me we're not putting her in an institution she says this is our child we're going to take her home and love her and so against the doctor's orders they did they took her home and made us dad built a special area for her and protect her from us kids you know because she was very fragile and but even during the time that Robin was there and very ill they just both of them just loved that little girl to death I mean it was just it was part of them and and and they wanted her they of course we all wanted her to survive with the doctor said that probably she wouldn't but you don't know that you know have had we had the medications they have today for down syndrome children um Robin probably could have lived in her 40s or 50s we don't know but it was a gift from God and and dad always says when you never give a gift up you never throw it away a gift is a gift no matter who gives it to you you keep it and uh and and she was not only gift to to Roy and Dale but a gift to all of us kids who got a chance to know her I was four and five you know at the time and I couldn't physically you know wrestle with her like I really wanted to but she and I communicated she couldn't speak of course but we communicated with she had certain giggles and laughs she'd do and and she would we would play hide and seek I'd get under the crib you know and I'd reach up and touch her arm and she'd giggle and roll try to see where I was and that's the kind of play we had but she was just a sweetheart I still see her eyes and I'd see her and I still see her eyes and her looking through the bars of that crib today I mean she just was and that's why those kids are so special to me today my son Dustin and I we work with a group out of Texas called DRI which is Development Resources Inc and they they have group homes for kids that are that have downs and we work with help raising money because a lot of them now a lot of those I tell people that they're you have people bring bring them to the show the down syndrome kids and and I'll say you know how lucky you are that you have one of these special children I said I don't give them to everybody you know he picks and choose who he wants to have them and they're his angels it doesn't matter what color they are they all have the same look and they all love music and they love people they have their ups and downs like everybody does you know they're they're moments of angry and and little little fits and stuff but they love you unconditionally and the only other person I know that does that is either a dog or God that loves you unconditionally I mean no matter what happened and and that's what's special about them and so they've always been special to me and always will be I mean they're just just wonderful wonderful gifts from God and of course mom and dad knew that from from the beginning that it was a gift and they and that's why mom wanted to write about it she she was puzzled for the longest time on how how I need to tell Robin's story but I don't know how where do I where do I go and so she sat on a park bench in New York and said God I don't you know give me some direction on how to write this book this angel unaware book I want to write and she said it was just an amazing thing that the good Lord put on her heart well don't you tell the story let Robin tell the story angel aware the book that mom finished after Robin passed away had a huge impact on a lot of different people and I think the biggest impact it really had were on the families that were fortunate enough to have Down syndrome children because it was always looked on as a stigma and I think people looked at Down syndrome children as something that they did wrong it was their fault not realizing that God made it possible for them to have one and that it was going to change their life in the future and and and like I say he only gives them to a few but I think having Robin's story told by Robin herself that she was okay that yes I that she had passed on and she'd moved but but the God sent her for a short time to be a blessing to Roy Rogers and Dale Evans that was her job the God God sent her there to do that and I think the reality for a lot of folks who have Down syndrome children they never thought of it that way because the public wouldn't let them the public looked down Down syndrome children as less than perfect they're not you know it and instead of coming up and saying what a beautiful child they would come up and say well I'm so sorry why they didn't know they they don't they didn't know they don't and so the book allowed families to bring out those children with them in public and when the public could actually see the beautiful smiles and the love of music and the excitement in their eyes and even though a lot of them couldn't talk there was something there that that that had not seen before and mom and dad and us too I mean when I was young when I was only five I didn't see any Down syndrome children at out at all up until after the book probably a year or so after the book was released you started mom started looking and seeing them in the audience at wherever they were because they felt that well if Roy and Dale can be blessed with one of these children and take them home and love them why shouldn't we and why should not this child is special and they're a blessing so why why shouldn't I take something that I'm proud of out and and let them experience the world which is cruel sometimes but they're no different than anybody else they they need to have a chance at life like you and I had and you've been listening to Roy Rogers Jr. who goes by the name Dusty telling the story of his mother and father and also his sister Robin and my goodness what a story he told about just his his mother's just can-do spirit and actors and actresses of the time they just always took the work my goodness the storytelling on Robin the Down syndrome child of Roy and Dale I wanted to tell Robin's story Dale prayed to God in a New York park bench but I don't know how and a bit later we learned that God had sent her to the earth for a short time to be a blessing to Roy and Dale when we come back more of the story of Roy and Dale Rogers is told by their son Dusty Rogers here on Our American Stories. Today's podcast is brought to you by Ferguson Home. Whether you're a homeowner working on a remodel or a pro managing multiple projects Ferguson Home is where great ideas become stunning spaces.
My wife and I know firsthand because Ferguson Home was by our side when we built our beautiful house all of our indoor and outdoor kitchen appliances most of our kitchen and bathroom hardware came from Ferguson Home they have the best selection of kitchen bath and lighting products all of which you can find online or you can visit a local Ferguson Home showroom like we did and get one-on-one support from their amazing consultants who are there for us with their expert advice and support they'll be there for you too go to fergusonhome.com to shop the latest styles from the brands you trust or find a showroom location near you. Clean water access helps kids soak up childhood girls can be in class instead of walking hours for water kids can be climbing trees and skinning knees instead of being sick with waterborne diseases sponsor a child at worldvision.org water for kids and help ensure access to life-changing essentials like clean water I was struggling for the past year and a half two years with trying to lose weight I just can't get rid of the stubborn weight in my legs and in my belly while everyone is unique and will have varied results here are extraordinary experiences from independent body affiliates and actual belvital users there's nothing more frustrating than knowing that you're eating well but it's not working hormone imbalances were preventing these women from losing weight now there's a comprehensive plan to help with belvital I just noticed changes immediately that stubborn scale finally moved in this first week I lost five pounds just after one week I'm down six pounds and all of my bloating is gone I just finished the belvital program I have lost 15 pounds and I have never felt better I've noticed inches just shed every week that I go through I feel like an entirely different person I don't know if I've ever felt this good get hormone health for women at belvital.com and while supplies last save 15 with promo code bv15 hello it is Ryan and I was on a flight the other day playing one of my favorite social spin slot games on chumbacasino.com I looked over the person sitting next to me and you know what they were doing they're also playing chumbacasino everybody's loving having fun with it chumbacasino is home to hundreds of casino style games that you can play for free anytime anywhere so sign up now at chumbacasino.com to claim your free welcome bonus that's chumbacasino.com and live the chumba life sponsored by chumbacasino no purchase necessary vgw group void where prohibited by law 21 terms and conditions apply and we continue with our American stories and with Dusty Rogers telling the story of his parents Roy Rogers and Dale Evans let's pick up where Dusty last left off I remember when robin I mean many times I could see mom and dad holding each other and crying because she had good days and had really bad days and and I think for them it was a challenge to do their every day be in front of a camera be smiling being doing this when they know part of them is at home slowly dying I think in their back of their mind they were hoping that she would come through it all but she was so frail and had and us kids sometimes we couldn't play with her because we had a cold or whatever you know so it was it was a challenge that way and they had a nurse that took care of her all the time there was somebody with her all the time there was somebody with her all the time so I think there was some questioning of of god you know what what what purpose is you know what we know that you've given this child to us what but but why what what is it that you want us to do what is it that and and that's what mom because she said for the longest time I couldn't put the book together because I didn't know I didn't know what my what the purpose was and after she had passed on and I remember mom and dad the day she died mom and dad I think they spent at least 11 10 to 11 hours out in the car port just holding each other and crying you know and we'd look out the window and they'd just be sobbing holding each other and I got to thinking you know wow I mean you know again five years old you know couldn't understand why we couldn't see rob and you know we didn't know what happened they didn't know quite how to tell us I guess and it was a rough it was a rough go and that and how mom and dad did what they did and and and still still say Roy and Dale and still do the obligations that they had in life and still raise us kids and take care of us and let us know that you know Robin was special and you know this isn't going to happen to all of you you're not going to all pass away now now don't you know she had brought you know and to try to explain that to your kids and and make it sound not so bad but yet it was had devastating to them it's a phenomenal thing and I think they questioned the grace of God but yet it was the grace of God who got him through it somebody asked him one time they said Roy when's the first time you really realized that the kids of America really looked up to you and he said in 1941 playing Madison Square Garden he said I was walking back by the by the cattle shoots and around the corner come this little guy about four years old dressed exactly like me he said that's when I knew that I had to keep my life in line and that I owed these kids something because they're looking up to me I can't say one thing into another and so he made a pact then with himself then good lord I'm sure that he would do everything he could to keep his image what so that kids could look up to him and and mean something and of course then that's and he was hitting hospitals even then and then on and then when the the polio thing was so bad in the 40s and 50s he would go to the hospital then he he was fighting all the time in his mind because I know he believed in God but he was he was angry at God somewhat I think because he couldn't understand why if we have such a trusting and just and and merciful God why he would allow children of all things his youngest creations to come into this life and and be attacked by some terrible disease or born with deformities or born I'm sure he saw Downs kids and at that time too and so it was hard for him for a long time he couldn't understand why he couldn't he couldn't reconcile reconcile why and so he was almost driven to the fact that he wanted to to go and see those kids and entertain them and many many stories I could tell you the one that that hits the most is is you know and a lot of the kids who had polio in the 40s were put into iron lungs their lungs were undeveloped and they needed help and so these machines iron lungs would help them breathe a little better of course they were in this big iron tube with their head sticking out and laying flat of course and looking up through a mirror that goes that direction so they could at least see and dad would would go there and he would he would go up to the ward and he'd bring the pioneers with them and they'd sing a couple songs and then he would dad would actually go to each iron lung and get around beside the child instead of looking at him through a mirror so he could get eye contact with him and he'd lean down and talk to them every one of them a little bit and he'd say you know Billy I know you're having trouble you know but you know all good cowboys are tested you know you've got you've got to buck up a little bit you gotta you know the cowboy way is not to lay here and worry fret about it it's to fight and get out of here and he said I'm going to help you and he would he would bring these gun belts with him kids gun belts with him in boxes and he would he would hang the gun belt up on the mirror and of course people thought well that's cruel this poor little kid he's can't you guys in his head is all he's got out and Roy's giving him a gun belt what is that but then dad would say when you get out of this iron lung if you fight hard enough and and and you pray hard enough you'll get out you'll eventually get out and what I want you to do is I want you to wear this gun belt and I want you to you know play cowboy like all the rest of boys and girls would do in the country and then someday I want you to come to Hollywood and see me and Dustin will tell you we've had a lot of over the last you know I've had a band for 40 years and I have seen so many people that have come that were in iron lungs in the 40s that dad came to the hospital put up that gun belt and they got out and of course some didn't but most of them got out and they still have a gun belt so in his in his somewhat little childish way and I think that's why kids loved him so much he was as big a kid like at heart that they were if he thought if he gave him just a little of encouragement on the level that they would understand and if Roy tells you to do it especially in the 40s you did it and it worked really well yeah many of the kids come to the show even today in the last this last couple years I've had I've had three in the last couple years I try to keep track they still have the gun belt and and it is their most prized position they say if it wasn't for this gun belt and it's most of the time it's in shatters I mean it's just tatters as aware the leathers worn off all the spots have come off and stuff and say I wore it everywhere I wore it to bed my mom used to get so mad at me because I didn't want to wear it in the bathtub and they stopped me from doing it but but it was their most prized possession and still is today mom knew that she they didn't want to have another child they didn't want because at that time they didn't know what caused downs they thought it might be an rh blood factor problem one negative and one positive in their blood type but they weren't sure so when they lost ramen just before her second birthday it had to be different I mean I know it was very difficult because I saw it but they got back up on their feet and they the good lord granted them grace and and and they were able to get back up and go but there still was a void and they just decided well if we can't have any more of our own children because we don't know if we'll have another down syndrome child or not then we'll adopt and you're listening to the son of Roy and Dale Evans dusty Rogers that's Roy Rogers Jr. telling the story of his parents and particularly after the loss of his sister Robin at the age of two he was five at the time and he remembers looking outside his home and seeing his parents often just hugging and crying and what a thing to watch as a five-year-old watching your own parents cope with grief and then having to come right back in the house and raise those kids and hit the line as professionals as actors as superstars and just sort of put that grief behind and move on and the stories of him visiting these kids with iron lung machines and parking by their sides making eye contact and saying all good cowboys are tested finding words of encouragement for these kids this big international superstar having this heart for kids and questioning God as dusty said my parents questioned the grace of God but the grace of God also got them through the ordeal and when we come back more of Roy Rogers story and his bride Dale as told by their son dusty Rogers here on our American stories today's podcast is brought to you by Ferguson home whether you're a homeowner working on a remodel or a pro managing multiple projects Ferguson home is where great ideas become stunning spaces my wife and I know firsthand because Ferguson home was by our side when we built our beautiful house all of our indoor and outdoor kitchen appliances most of our kitchen and bathroom hardware came from Ferguson home they have the best selection of kitchen bath and lighting products all of which you can find online or you can visit a local Ferguson home showroom like we did and get one-on-one support from their amazing consultants who were there for us with their expert advice and support they'll be there for you to go to fergusonhome.com to shop the latest styles from the brands you trust or find a showroom location near you clean water access helps kids soak up childhood girls can be in class instead of walking hours for water kids can be climbing trees and skinning knees instead of being sick with waterborne diseases sponsor a child at worldvision.org slash water for kids and help ensure access to life-changing essentials like clean water I was struggling for the past year and a half two years with trying to lose weight I just can't get rid of the stubborn weight in my legs and in my belly while everyone is unique and will have varied results here are extraordinary experiences from independent body affiliates and actual belvital users there's nothing more frustrating than knowing that you're eating well but it's not eating well but it's not working hormone imbalances were preventing these women from losing weight now there's a comprehensive plan to help with belvital I just noticed changes immediately that stubborn scale finally moved in this first week I lost five pounds just after one week I'm down six pounds and all of my bloating is gone I just finished the belvital program I have lost 15 pounds and I have never felt better I've noticed inches just shed every week that I go through I feel like an entirely different person I don't know if I've ever felt this good get hormone health for women at belvital.com and while supplies last save 15 with promo code bv15. And we continue with our American stories and the story of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans as told by their son Roy Rogers Jr. aka Dusty. Let's pick up where he last left off. Dad felt bad for me because I had any sisters and I had no brother unbeknownst to me they went on a trip to Ohio and then went down from Ohio down to Kentucky down to Louisville and they had heard of the orphanage dad would always invite orphanages to bring their kids over for the show and they had had a chance to visit one of them and then in Covington Kentucky and they ran across this little boy and dad was going around shaking hands to all the little boys and they were hanging out and Sandy just stuck out of his hand and said howdy partner and dad just kind of fell in love with him you know he was just a little he was stunted in his growth and he had all kinds of problems he slept in a chair since he was born practically didn't know what a bed was and and they treated him pretty badly so they you know they said this is the guy we got to get for for for Dusty and then they stopped by Hope Cottage on the way back home and they had a little American Indian girl, Choctaw Indian, Mary little doe, call her Doty, so I'm coming to the airport thinking I'm gonna meet mom and dad and down off the airplane comes dad he's carrying this little kid and mom's carrying a little girl a little baby girl I got to thinking here hey what's going on you know and uh and I I've got pictures of our first meeting, Sandy and I first meeting and I did not like him I thought oh wait a minute just a minute I was the prince here now all of a sudden I got somebody horning in on my spot and mom's mom explained now this is your new brother his you know we his name is John David Harry Hardy but we're gonna call him Sandy and this is Doty we're a little Mary little Doty and this is a little Mary little doe she's gonna be your sister well Doty I fell in love with right away but I had a hard time with Sandy for a while but we grew to be really good buds and I protected him a lot because he was smaller than me and he was you know guys were picking on him all the time and he had a lot of physical problems and but there was a there was and then of course they that wasn't enough you know they a little later on they adopted well they got a little Marion from they'd gone in 1954 they went to uh to England and Scotland and Ireland and fell in love with a little girl named Marion or her name was Marion Fleming and wanted to adopt her and couldn't because she uh international adoptions weren't allowed so they became her foster parent and uh then they uh adopted a little girl they wanted to adopt a little girl there was a uh when they had the ban on international adoptions was listed and lifted in the 60s they adopted a little girl from Seoul Korea her name was Inalee called her Debbie Lee and uh so it just kept going on and on until they ended up with nine children total and uh and uh boy it was a bunch I'll tell you it was a bunch and you know six months old six and a half months old to 19 you know Tom was 19 20 years old at that time and I tell you we were it was wild and crazy it really was but uh dad pulled us all together said hey you're all the same in God's eyes you're the same in your mother's in my eyes you'll all be our kids and you're going to all be treated equal doesn't matter if you're male female or black brown or blue you know you're in the Rogers family now and you didn't ask to be but here you are and so deal with it and and we did we moved to apple valley in about 1965 I think it was the year we moved up there and the reason we moved was that little Debbie the Korean orphan the year before 64 was on her way back from Mexico the church had done a goodwill mission down there kind of kind of a sister church and the bus blew a left front tire and it came across the highway on down near Oceanside and was hit head-on by a station wagon and of course Debbie and her friend were sitting right in the front seat on the right side and that's exactly where it hit and of course Debbie was killed again my dad was in the hospital at the time he had his neck fused and a third vertebrae fourth vertebrae fused together he had staph infection it was in bad shape in the hospital and Debbie was killed while he was there and mom I mean poor mom was just I mean she was a basket case and they tried to keep all the news away from dad Art went to the hospital and tried to keep him from seeing anything or reading anything until everybody could be told and so long story short the Chatsworth place for my dad I loved it there but for my dad became a sad place it was where Debbie was and and you know he passed her bedroom every day and Debbie was kind of his favorite Debbie was very outgoing and and would comb his set and comb his hair you know for hours and just you know put curlers in it and stuff and she just she was kind of his favorite and she just and he just she just played it to the hilt with him and had a very close bond so it was very difficult you know to come home at night and see her room and see her things and so dad just decided we've got to move we got to get out of here this isn't the same place that I remember and so we moved to Apple Valley in 1965 I was already there I had moved up early I was there two or three weeks well actually a little longer that before mom came up he came up around Christmas time and I started there in September I think in school senior year in high school mom and dad moved which was not a whole lot of fun for me but I again learned to adapt okay but then mom and dad came up and and they got a little house on the highway there was beautiful and Apple Valley was very quiet and about 8,000 people and and everybody knew Roy and Dale they kind of left him alone which was nice and everything was going really great and then on October 31st my mom's birthday in 1965 got a call from the defense department that my brother Sandy had choked to death while serving with army in Germany well here we go again you know and dad especially took it especially took it really bad they got I think both of them well mom did too but dad was especially upset over it and again questioning you know how much how much more god do you have to lay on us before you know well god doesn't give you choices he doesn't tell you why you know and you may not know the reason for years but out of those deaths came from beautiful books that mom had written the cowboys had a code every cowboy had their own 10 codes dad's was different than hoppies hoppies was different than gene dad's was based on the bible and it was based on the 10 commandments but it was in child in child words but that they could understand it you need to go to sunday school every sunday and you need to weigh your parents and you need to eat all your food no waste any and there were you know just basic just basic things that kids could they wanted to aspire to because they loved the men that told them that they needed to and it was the same when I was a kid everybody wanted to be a cowboy even the little girls wanted to be a cowboy I want they would buy Roy Rogers stuff they wouldn't buy the Dale Evans outfits they wanted Roy we don't have that today there's nobody out there today to tell our children that that's wrong what you're doing is wrong you need to put that up and you need to this is where you need to go and make them believe it there's no reality anymore so I just wish that the producers and directors and and people in in the media today would take an account that they're still young they may be you know they may have a spendable income when they're 13 maybe I don't know but the target audience for most all almost everything today is 17 to 27 30 maybe 40 if you're lucky most of it's younger than that because we've gotten away we've gotten away from what's important and that's the family unit my mom used to say dusty when the family unit fails in this country we are in big trouble and you can see it every day that isn't the way this country was founded it wasn't the thing that our forefathers fought for it isn't what the constitution was written for but yet we've gotten so far away from it and so far out away from it I don't know if we can come back we can if if as Americans we say our children are not junk god doesn't make junk they deserve better what can we show them what can we give them that's better and a terrific job on the storytelling and editing by Greg Hengler and a special thanks to Roy Rogers Jr. aka Dusty for sharing the story of his mother father and sibling and my goodness what he said about his father dad felt bad for me because I didn't have sisters or brothers and of course the response by Roy and Dale to that grief the loss of his Down syndrome sister was adoption the response to grief was love the response to loss was addition the response to loss was adoption and not one not two but many more would join the Roy Rogers family and of course then came those two losses and more questioning of god how much more are you going to lay on us Dale and Roy said and how many of us have been there and then of course the final lament by Roy Rogers Jr. which was that family is all we have family will save the country family and love is what saves everything and makes life worth living the story of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans their family as told by Dusty Rogers here on Our American Stories hear about the challenges facing small businesses and some of the uh-oh moments Jamie has overcome listen wherever you get your podcasts chase mobile app is available for select mobile devices message and data rates may apply JP Morgan Chase Bank N.A. member FDIC copyright 2025 JP Morgan Chase & Company during tax season your sensitive info does a lot of traveling to places you can't control stopping off at payroll your accountant or tax preparer and countless other data centers on its way to the IRS any of them can expose you to identity theft because they all have the info on your w-2 just the ticket for criminals to steal your identity no wonder the IRS reported tax fraud due to identity theft went up 20 percent last year you need lifelock they monitor millions of data points per second and alert you to threats you could miss if your identity is stolen lifelock's us-based restoration specialists will fix it backed by the million dollar protection package and restoration is guaranteed or your money back don't let identity thieves take you for a ride get lifelock protection for tax season and beyond join now and save up to 40 your first year call 1-800 lifelock and use promo code iheart or go to lifelock.com slash iheart for 40 off terms apply did you know that parents rank financial literacy as the number one most difficult life skill to teach meet greenlight the debit card and money app for families with greenlight you can send money to kids quickly set up chores automate allowance and keep an eye on what your kids are spending with real-time notifications kids learn to earn save and spend wisely and parents can rest easy knowing their kids are learning about money with guardrails in place try greenlight risk-free today at greenlight.com slash iheart the new year's here it's the perfect time to refresh those household essentials and score some cashback rewards with colgate palmolive from toothpaste to dish soap chances are you've got colgate palmolive products on your shopping list and in your house right now we're talking brands like colgate soft soap palmolive irish spring fabuloso and toms of maine and right now you can get up to a ten dollar digital visa prepaid card when you buy up to thirty dollars of colgate palmolive products here's how it works spend twenty dollars on their products get five dollars spend thirty dollars get a ten dollar reward all you do is shop your favorite brands snap a pic of your receipt and upload it to cprewards.com it's so easy that's cprewards.com so grab what you need or maybe try something new and get rewarded just for doing your usual shopping and start your year fresh by earning cashback rewards with colgate palmolive rewards available while supplies last limits apply us only 1 125 through 331 25 for full terms and conditions visit cprewards.com
