President John F. Kennedy in Fort Worth November 22, 1963, joined by Rep. Jim Wright, with Star-Telegram reporter Roger Summers, far right.
Star-Telegram archives
Long-time Star-Telegram columnist Roger Summers covered tornadoes and hurricanes, and reported on events that shaped history, including President John F. Kennedy’s visit to Fort Worth hours before his assassination in Dallas.
Summers, 90, died on March 11 due to health complications, his family said.
The family is planning a memorial service, but arrangements haven’t been announced.
Summers, who dreamed of being a journalist while growing up in Haltom City, began his career at the Arlington Citizen Journal before coming to the Star-Telegram in 1960, his niece Phyllis Snider said.
“Roger came to our house every Friday night and told us stories about what was happening in Fort Worth and Tarrant County politics. It was fascinating,” Snider said.
Snider recalled how Summers talked about the “Seventh Street Gang” of influential people who shaped Fort Worth’s culture and politics.
Bob Ray Sanders, who was associate editor and a senior columnist when he retired from the Star-Telegram in 2015, described Summers as a mentor and friend who welcomed him in to the newsroom.
He said Summers had an “incredible influence” in his reporting.
“He had a natural knack for the profession. Roger was naturally curious. He had the instinct of what a great reporter has, suspect things that are not obvious to the average person,” Sanders said.
He described Summers as a detective trying to solve a case.
“Roger was not boastful; he just did the work,” Sanders said. “Editors trusted him with the biggest stories that we had at the time.”
Sanders, who is Black, said he came to the Star-Telegram when Black journalists were just getting started at larger newspapers. He described how Summers and other reporters such as Jon McConal always protected him.
“They knew that it could be difficult for a young Black person coming in to the business. They put me with the best,” Sanders said, referring to his editors.
Summers was born May 6, 1935, in Fort Worth, and he grew up in Haltom City, his daughter LeAnne Summers said. He was preceded in death by his wife, Dale Shurbet Summers, who died in 2014.
Summers said her father and his brothers and sisters were orphaned when their parents died when Roger was about 5 years old.
The older siblings insisted on keeping the family together, she said.
Summers described how her father got his first exposure to the Star-Telegram when he helped his family deliver the newspaper.
“He always wanted to be a journalist,” she said.
Roger Summers graduated from Birdville High School and attended TCU, where he graduated with a degree in journalism.
Summers was editor of the student newspaper, The Skiff.
His career at the Star-Telegram included stories about Jack Ruby, the 1966 shooting at the University of Texas tower, and Fort Worth and Tarrant County politics.
“Dad felt like he had 40 years of continuing education. He was always learning,” Summers said.
Snider described how her uncle inspired her to study journalism. Summers also loved photography, and had a darkroom in his home.
Summers’ younger brother Sam said: “Roger was always upbeat. He was always encouraging. He was a people magnet.”
Summers described how the two brothers joined the Navy and were stationed in south Texas during the 1950s.
The two often hitchhiked home for the weekend.
One of their most memorable experiences happened when a Cadillac convertible stopped, and the driver who offered them a ride was the famous stripper, Candy Barr, who also befriended Jack Ruby.
“He was a good man first and a good journalist second. I will miss him.”
Survivors include daughter LeAnne Summers; brother Sam B. Summers; sister Faye Ellis; and numerous nieces and nephews.
This story was originally published March 20, 2026 at 12:47 PM.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
With my guide dog Freddie, I keep tabs on growth, economic development and other issues in Northeast Tarrant cities and other communities near Fort Worth. I’ve been a reporter at the Star-Telegram for 34 years.