The late Roger Howe enrolled at Bluffton in 1946 after serving in World War II. The Bluffton native played basketball, football and tennis, earning multiple varsity letters. He was named the outstanding athlete of 1947 at Bluffton, where he was also involved in music and theatre, among other campus activities.

After receiving his bachelor’s degree in sociology in 1949, Howe embarked on an education career, working as a teacher, coach and principal in Ohio; as superintendent of schools in Ohio and Illinois; and as a faculty member at universities in Arkansas, Illinois and Missouri. Along the way, he earned master’s and doctoral degrees in education from Bowling Green State University and Ohio State University, respectively.