Roger Dingeman

Roger Henry Dingeman was the fourth child of farmer Henry (Harry) Dingeman and his wife Edith McNeill Dingeman. Roger graduated from high school in Spearfish, South Dakota and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from the University of Nebraska in 1962, with a major in Chemistry and minors in Math and Naval Science. Dingeman served in the U.S Marine Corps from 1962 to 1968 as an Aviator Captain, flying an A-4 Skyhawk during the Vietnam War and was awarded three Air Medals. He flew as a commercial pilot for Pan Am Airlines after leaving the military. He joined the Oregon State Police in 1971, graduating first in his class from the Oregon State Police Academy. He worked as a Criminalist in the Crime Detection Laboratory in Eugene, Oregon, from 1972-1975, and was the Director of the Eugene Lab from 1975-1976. Dingeman headed the Portland, Oregon Crime Lab 1976-1977, and was promoted to the position of Forensic Lab Director for all Oregon State Police Crime Labs in 1978, a position he held until his retirement in 1992. He was the author of several professional papers in the field of forensics, frequently taught or lectured on the subject, and was a member of the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors as well a member of the American Academy of Forensic Science. He was survived by son Mike Dingeman and daughter LeAnn Dingeman Peterson.