Roosevelt Charles Sands, Jr. was born in Key West, Florida, on October 1, 1930, as the fifth child and second son of Wilhelmina Cleare Sands and Roosevelt Sands, Sr. He attended the segregated Frederick Douglass School, where in 1948, he was cited in the student newspaper, The Douglass Town Crier, as one of the school's "Best Athletes." He graduated as the Senior Class President of the Class of 1949, a year during which he also served as Captain of the school's inaugural football team. Following graduation, he enrolled at Florida Agricultural & Mechanical College (FAMC), now Florida A&M University (FAMU), and became a member of the Rattler football team under the legendary Jake Gaither.
He withdrew from college to join the military in 1951 and enlisted in the United States Army attaining the ranks of Sergeant First Class and Acting First Sergeant and serving as an MP (Military Police) and Engineer. He is a Veteran of the Korean War and served with the Company B, 101st Signal Battalion Corps, a unit responsible for communications and information systems for the combined Armed Forces. Following that tour of duty, he served as a Sergeant in the US Army Reserves. After fifteen years of service to the military, he received an Honorable Discharge.
During the early part of his work history, which began while he was in high school, and for a period of 26 years, he worked in commercial industry as an air conditioning, refrigeration, and major appliance serviceman with the locally owned business, Home Appliance Company, formerly located at 611 Simonton Street. A significant change in vocation led to the start of a new career as an Occupational Specialist in the area of Vocational Counseling at Key West High School, where he was employed for a period of 21 years, from 1972 until his retirement in 1993 from the Monroe County School System. During this period, he was also an administrator of the County's Summer Youth Employment program.
Over his decades of public service and following the legacy established.by his father, Roosevelt Sands Sr., he was highly regarded for his own oratorical prowess. He was also admired for his gift of delivering resounding, powerful prayers and was called upon regularly to offer the prayer at the beginning of each Housing Authority meeting and frequently during church services in this very sanctuary. His moving and inspiring renditions of the speeches of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., including delivery of the "I Have a Dream" speech, carried a personally meaningful resonance when he was accompanied on the piano by his now deceased, youngest sister, Rose Sands Lopez. The King speeches were a trademark of his repertoire as well as, in earlier years, his recitation of a Biblically inspired version of the monologue, "The Deck of Cards. Through his work in the schools and the community, he has mentored countless youth, sharing his wealth of knowledge on Key West and African American history as a result of countless invitations from teachers, school administrators, and community organizations.
His contributions to the Key West community include holding the longest continuous service as a Key West Housing Authority Board Commissioner for a period of 52 years, in roles that included terms as Chairman and Vice Chairman. He also served as a Board member of the Florida Keys Community College Equal Access and Opportunity Board, a member of the Neighborhood Improvement Association, a now defunct local community organization; and a former member of the Free and Accepted Masons, Union Lodge #47. He served as Chair of the Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Celebration and Scholarship Committee and a Committee member for over thirty-five years. He is a lifelong member of Comish Memorial A1vfE Zion Church, the church of his mother, Wilhelmina Cleare Sands, and his siblings. He served his church faithfully in many capacities, including on the Church Restoration and Renovation project and as the Chairman of the Trustees Board for over a decade.
In 2002, he received a special acknowledgement when the Roosevelt C. Sands Jr. Affordable Housing Complex was established in recognition of his decades of dedicated and outstanding service to the Key West Housing Authority Board, its residents, and the Key West community. In the year 2007, he became the first African American to deliver the Commencement Speech for the Key West High School Graduation Ceremonies during a year that commemorated the 100th Anniversary of the school.