Roger is a native of Puyallup, Washington. He received both a BA and a teaching degree from the University of Washington before joining the Peace Corps. In Iran he taught ESL in Bardaskan, Khorasan from 1974 to 1976. After Peace Corps service he returned to Isfahan to teach Iranian Army helicopter pilots technical English until 1978. Roger worked in Saudi Arabia and Thailand before returning to Washington state to teach at Clover Park Technical College and Pierce College until his recent retirement.