Derek Senogles Rooke

Derek Senogles Rooke, age 86, resident of Memphis, retired farm director, broadcaster and advertising executive for WMC Television, Channel 5 in Memphis and husband of Louise Pankey Rooke, died March 27, 2008.

Funeral services were conducted at 3 P.M. Tuesday, April 1, 2008 at the Peebles Main Funeral Chapel in Somerville with interment in the LaGrange Cemetery at LaGrange, Tennessee.

Born in Kendal, England on September 25, 1921, Mr. Rooke received his education in England and served as a carrier based fighter pilot for the Royal Navy during World War II. He was married in 1943 to the former Louise Pankey of LaGrange, TN a ballet teacher at St. Mary's Episcopal School for over thirty years, before her retirement. Mr. Rooke spent the Summer of 1946 observing farming operations in the Mid-South and returned to England to Bradford University in the fall of 1946 where he completed his education and moved to LaGrange in 1948.

He farmed until 1951 when he joined the staff of WMC Stations as Farm Director and shortly thereafter, became an American citizen. Mr. Rooke served as chairman of the Television Committee of the National Association of Farm Broadcasters for several years. He was the first man in the world to complete twenty years of daily (Monday through Friday) farm broadcasting on television. He was also heard during this time on WMC radio and WMC-FM on a daily basis from Magee, Mississippi to the Missouri Bootheel on a one hundred station radio network. In 1963, the Mississippi Aerial Applicators selected Mr. Rooke as the first man honored by the group at its annual meeting. In 1968, the United States Department of Commerce honored him for his part in starting the present weather forecasting service to agriculture and the general non-aviation public by the Environmental Science Services Administration. In 1971 Mr. Rooke was named Man of the Year by the Memphis Agricultural Club.

For many years Mr. Rooke was a Certificate Holder and member of the Board of Directors of the Mid-South Fair. He had been a member and former chairman of the Memphis Farm Forum Committee, Vice-Chairman of the Agri-business Committee of the Memphis Chamber of Commerce and in 1971 to 1972 served as Chairman of the Southern Farm Forum. He remained on that group's South-wide Advisory Committee until 1987. Mr. Rooke had been active in civic affairs other than those connected with agriculture. He had been Vice-President of Theatre Memphis, a board member of many health organizations including the Tennessee TB Association and the Memphis Planned Parenthood Association. For many years he served as Secretary of the Memphis and Shelby County Safety Council.

Mr. Rooke always had a prime interest in sailing. He held many offices governing the sport including that of commodore of the International Cougar Catamaran Association and he had won races in national and international competition.

Mr. Rooke was an Episcopalian and in addition to his wife, he is survived by his daughter, Virginia Ann Rooke Archer (William, II) of Orlando, FL; his son, Byron Christopher Rooke (Charlotte) of Memphis; his sisters, Catherine Rooke Hall and Marjorie Rooke Wilkinson, both of Harrogate Yorkshire, England; his brother, John S. Rooke of Ingleton Yorkshire, England; two grandchildren, Derek Eugene Archer, Deborah Anne Holder; and four great-grandchildren, Elizabeth Archer, Carley Archer, Luke Holder and Ella Holder.

Memorials are requested to the Good Shepherd Church, 1971 Jackson Ave., Memphis, TN 38107 or to the Alzheimers Association.