Wow.. as everyone says, this is a very sad day for me also. Roger was always one of my favorites. We first became friends in 1970 or maybe '71 and would send each other personal cassette tape recordings because it was cheaper than talking long distance for literally hours on end back then. He also used to type me some really long letters. We'd compare findings, exchange opinions (which often were identical) and plans for the future. I lost most of the recorded tapes in our fire in '99 but I still have a couple old letters he sent me. One is special in that he was telling me he and Jane had just had a new baby (Ryan), and he was a pretty good little bugger.
I always thought Roger was a very good writer and told him so. He claimed writing did not come easy for him. He told me he feared his writings might not be taken as he intended, but I always found them great. Maybe it was because we often thought alike. I remember him telling me he purposely wouldn't tell the reader every minute detail. He would crack the door open and whet their appetite just enough to encourage them to find their own answers/opinions and share them with others. I find myself doing that same thing today. I learned a LOT from Roger.
The thing I'm most disappointed in is the fact we didn't live closer. He lived a little out of the way for my normal routes to wherever. I last saw him on Aug. 17th when Gene and I stopped at the farm for a nice two-hour visit. He was an impressive, impressive man and one I was proud to call a friend. He was a one of a kind guy. Those who didn't know him really lost out. I'm so grateful he left a legacy with his books for the future generations. He was in a league all his own in my opinion. My most sincere condolences to the entire Rothhaar family. BW