Wilson Rogers was born May 1, 1923 in South Point, Ohio. At age 19 Wilson was drafted and served in World War II, where he was stationed in France with the 537 Quarter Master Corps. Upon returning from the war Wilson worked many professions, including being a painter, realtor and working in the steel yards. After 24 years of working for National Screw Manufacturing, Wilson decided to seek owning his own business when he saw that Ray Croc was looking for black Owner Operators in his growing franchise. Wilson answered the call in 1971 and became the fifth black McDonald’s owner in Cleveland.
Wilson has been a pioneer in the McDonald’s system by leading with the implementation of Value Meals, single lane and double lane Drive-Thru’s. As part of his community efforts Wilson started the UNCF Golf outing 20 years ago to provide scholarships to minority students to further their secondary education.
