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Roger’s success in life has in large part been due to the community around him. The community made possible his adoption into a loving family. It made possible his schooling, including higher education. And it made possible his first ventures into the business and investing worlds. Roger is determined to give back to this community, both for what he has received from it and because he believes it’s just the right thing to do. To this end, Roger supports organizations both large and small that are involved in bettering the lives of those they serve. Click HERE for photos.
Starting in the early 1970s, Roger traveled each year to The City of the Little Children orphanage in Oaxaca, Mexico. The orphanage cares for boys and girls who in many cases would otherwise be on the streets without food, shelter or even love. Roger would underwrite a large portion of the orphanage’s operating and capital costs. He also sponsors visits from groups of Americans wanting to help the children either through physical labor (painting, cleaning, etc.), education (English instruction), and/or simple companionship. Although he no longer travels to Mexico, you can contact him to learn more about his trips. Click HERE for photos.
Roger has always loved sports. As a child, he and his adoptive father listened to the Reds on the radio, went to baseball games at every opportunity, and talked sports whenever they were together. And though he could never play because of his disabilities, Roger served as team manager for every team his high school fielded. Roger went on to coach Girls’ softball for nearly forty years, winning a world championship and taking teams around the world. Click HERE for photos.
Some individuals achieve success despite family. Roger was not one of them. Family made Roger. Thelma, Roger’s adoptive mother, learned of Roger’s disabilities while her husband was away at war. Some suggested that Roger be given back, that he was not healthy and not what the orphanage had promised. Thelma refused. She loved Roger and taught him, painstakingly, to walk. When her husband Frank returned he loved Roger as an only son. With the community behind them, Thelma and Frank nurtured Roger through childhood and school, always pushing him and insisting that he could do as well as anyone else. Click HERE for photos.