Dr. Roger J. Fritz was born on July 18, 1928 in Wisconsin. He graduated from Monmouth College in Illinois in 1950, and earned a masters and a doctorate in educational counseling at University of Wisconsin. Fritz held several academic positions before becoming a corporate executive at Deer and Company in 1959. When Fritz came to Willamette University, the campus culture was experiencing turmoil reflective of that occurring in the rest of the nation -- civil rights issues, questions about religious relevance, change in educational theories. Although Fritz worked to calm the tensions, his term at Willamette was troubled by various communication difficulties and in the spring of 1972, the Board of Trustees asked for his resignation. When Fritz did not tender a letter of resignation, the Board terminated his contract.