By Mark Silverman

Roger Watkins was the epitome of the Variety mugg.  He was street smart, motivated, a thoughtful reader of people, and a good listener, traits which made him both a great reporter and a top salesman.  I spent my 24th year (1981-82) as his “understudy” in the old London offices on St. James’s St., just off Piccadilly Circus (pictured below).  It was a time now gone by which I still remember fondly, because Roger wasn’t just the best teacher I ever had.  He was also my friend.
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By Jack Kindred

More than just colleages working for the same newspaper, we were close friends, a friendship that lasted 36 years. I started stringing for Variety early in 1970 after receiving permission from my chief editor at the German Press Agency wire service in Hamburg where I was a deskman. After a brief trip to New York where I met Syd and Abel, Harold Myers came to Hamburg that spring followed next by Bob Hawkins, who had hired me. Then Roger came to Hamburg shortly after he had rejoined Variety in London. We met at the Hotel Atlantic and found immediate rapport, especially since Roger had thoughtfully brought with him a bottle of Scotch, which sealed our friendship.
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By Peter Besas

It seems unreal that Rog is gone and that he is now the subject of my reminiscences on Simesite, the way Keith Keller and Jack Pitman were not so long ago. I spoke to Rog on the phone two weeks ago and well knew what was coming. Even so, the reality somehow always eclipses the expectation, no matter how much you prepare for it.
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