George Charles Roche III (May 16, 1935 – May 5, 2006) was the 11th president ofHillsdale College, serving from 1971 to 1999. He was led to resign after a scandal surrounding an alleged sexual affair between him and his daughter-in-law, Lissa Jackson Roche, and her subsequent suicide.
Roche received his bachelor's degree from Regis College (nowRegis University) in 1956. He later received a master's and Ph.D. from theUniversity of Colorado.
Before becoming president of Hillsdale College, Roche was a professor at theColorado School of Mines. He also worked with theFoundation for Economic Education.
The Center for Constructive Alternatives seminar program and the college's widely circulated speech digest,Imprimis, were started during Roche's years as college president. Under his leadership, many new buildings were constructed, including a sports complex that bears his name. Roche authored many books, such asLegacy of Freedom,The Bewildered Society, andThe Book of Heroes. Lissa is sometimes listed as a co-author ofThe Book of Heroes and is acknowledged as a major contributor in its introduction.
Ronald Reagan appointed Roche chairman of theNational Council on Educational Research in 1984.
Roche's first wife was June Roche, and they had four children together.[1] In 1971, when Roche became president of Hillsdale College, the family moved to Michigan. In 1999, the Roches divorced, and George remarried that same year.
Scandal broke out upon George's remarriage, still in 1999, when his daughter-in-law, Lissa Jackson Roche, claimed to have had an affair with him spanning 19 years. She threatened suicide, and her husband found her in the college arboretum with a handgun and her blood still warm; he was unable to prevent her self-inflicted death.[2] Roche was placed on leave of absence, but resigned nine days later[3] and left public life. The widely publicized scandal brought national attention to Roche and Hillsdale. The 2000 bookHillsdale: Greek Tragedy in America's Heartland explores the events and questions whether Lissa Roche's death was actually suicide.[4] Roche denied Lissa's allegations.
After the scandal, Roche moved to a remote cabin in Colorado. He visited Michigan briefly in 2005 to celebrate his 70th birthday.[5] He died on May 5, 2006, inLouisville, Kentucky.[6][7][8]
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