Services for Late Mayor Frank Bogert Set for Friday
Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet will be the opening speaker at the late former Mayor Frank Bogert’s memorial service on Friday, March 27 in Palm Springs. The 2 p.m. public service will be held at Temple Isaiah, 322 W. Alejo Road. The public is invited to attend. A private service for the family will be held following the memorial.
The iconic former cowboy mayor, passed away at his home Sunday night surrounded by his family. He was 99.
Pougnet will speak about his friendship with Bogert and the former mayor’s substantial contributions to the City.
“It’s an honor to be asked to speak about this remarkable man, who I considered a role model and inspiration,” Pougnet said. “Never afraid to speak his mind, if there was one thing I learned from Frank Bogert… it was to stick to your guns.”
A noted cowboy famous for his rodeo ensemble, Bogert was Mayor of the City of Palm Springs from April, 1958 to January, 1966 – when the position of Mayor was appointed by the City Council. In 1982, Bogert became the City’s first directly elected Mayor after residents had voted a year earlier to directly elect their Mayor. He served until 1988.
Born Jan. 1, 1910 in Colorado, Bogert arrived in Palm Springs in the1920s and was the publicity manager for the legendary El Mirador Hotel. He also managed the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce and helped develop Thunderbird Country Club in Rancho Mirage.
As Mayor, Bogert sat on the first Tramway Authority and led the effort for the creation of the fountain at Palm Springs International Airport. He was also a friend of many Hollywood celebrities and met several U.S. Presidents, including Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. He also spent time with Presidents who helped popularize Palm Springs – including Dwight D. Eisenhower, Gerald R. Ford and Ronald Reagan – with whom he spent time on equestrian trail riding.
Easily recognized around town thanks to his white cowboy hat and tall stature, Bogert became a beloved figure in the community for his many contributions. He also wrote two celebrated books in his retirement called “Palm Springs: The First Hundred Years” and “View from the Saddle: Characters Who Crossed My Trail.”
A full-size bronze statue of Bogert atop his horse, commissioned to celebrate his contributions to the City, sits in front of Palm Springs City Hall.
“Frank Bogert was a remarkable and truly iconic Mayor who gave his life to Palm Springs,” Pougnet said upon learning of his death. “He worked tirelessly and unselfishly to support many local philanthropies, to cheerlead countless community events and to promote the town he loved and helped create.
“His public service, quick wit and candid rhetoric will be greatly missed by everyone in Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley. He was a one-of-a-kind… and a true pioneer whose name was synonymous with Palm Springs. I extend my deepest condolences to his family.”
Bogert is survived by his second wife Negie, three daughters and several grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Angel View Crippled Children’s Foundation, 12379 Miracle Hill Road, Desert Hot Springs 92240, Pegasus Riding Academy for the Handicapped, 35450B Pegasus Court, Palm Desert, 92211, or Desert Trail Riders Fund, P.O. Box 4063, Palm Springs 92263.
A condolence book will be available in the entry of the Palm Springs Public Library, 300 S. Sunrise Way, for the former mayor’s fans and friends to honor his memory. When complete, the book will be given to his widow.
From Palm Springs city news release by Amy Blaisdell. For more Palm Springs news, www.palmspringsca.gov