Deceased October 28, 2015
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In Memory
Roger was a risk taker. After Amherst he joined the Central Intelligence Agency. He was deployed behind enemy lines during the Korean War to rescue downed American pilots.
Back in civilian life in 1955, he bought a radio station in Charlottesville, Va., for $210,000 after an apprenticeship in media sales. Roger built on this, adding television and radio outlets to his company, Eastern Broadcasting.
In 1989 he sold Eastern Broadcasting for $65 million, which was one of the largest media transactions of the time, according to the Washington Post. He got back in the business in 2003, forming Neuhoff Communications, a chain of radio stations mostly in the Midwest.
Roger came to Amherst from Andover, following in the footsteps of his brother, John ’46. A member of Psi Upsilon, he was a hammer thrower on the track team, played freshman football and was a member of the Masquers. He noted wryly that, as his career as an actor progressed, his roles seemed to diminish.
Roger was a fervent supporter of Amherst, where he had “almost” his best years, as he said in our 50th reunion notes. He contributed a running track to the College.
Until 1989 Roger lived in Washington, D.C. Then he moved to West Palm Beach, Fla. For five decades, summers were spent on Martha’s Vineyard, where he belonged to the Edgartown Yacht Club and was a founder of the Chappaquiddick Beach Club.
A longtime cancer survivor, he died at 87 in October 2015.
He is survived by his wife, Louise; two sons, Alexander and Eric; a daughter, Louise Harkins; 10 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his brother, John ’46, and a son, Geoffrey.
John Priesing ’50