Jack Roderick was born in Seattle in 1926, and served in the US Navy Air Corps in World War II and later earned degrees in political science (BA,Yale, 1949), law (JD,University of Washington, 1959), and public administration (MPA, Harvard, 1981). He moved to Anchorage in 1954, where he worked as a truck driver before getting involved in oil exploration, practicing law, and serving in many government positions, including Peace Corps Regional Director in India (1967-8), Anchorage Borough Mayor (1973-5), Alaska Department of Natural Resources Deputy Commissioner (1976-8), US Farmer's Home Administration's Alaska Director (1978-9), and Alaska State Energy Director (1984-5). He has taught at University of Alaska Anchorage and Alaska Pacific University. He is the author of Crude Dreams: A Personal History of Oil & Politics in Alaska.