American writer, Roger Dean Kiser, was made a ward of the state and deposited in an orphanage in Lakeland, Florida when he was 5 years old.

Kiser’s mother abandoned her 3 children, leaving them alone at home in California. After the police stepped in, young Roger spent some time with grandparents before being sent to first to the Lakeland Orphanage and then to the Children’s Home Society, in Jacksonville, Florida.

He also spent time at the notorious Florida School for Boys because of “breaking the rules” at the Children’s Home.

As an adult, Roger Dean Kiser worked as a nurse for many years.

He is the author of numerous books and his writing is inspired by his life in the Jacksonville Children’s Home and his time at the Florida School for Boys.