WC PortraitLaw School:
University of Texas at Austin, J.D., 1986

College:
University of Texas at Austin, B.A., summa cum laude, 1983

Member:
State Bar of Texas; State Bar of California

Born:
Chico, California

Roger Worthington believes in giving back. Worthington has donated over $1 million directly to medical research on the early detection, prevention, treatment and cure of asbestos-related mesothelioma. Most of the latter amount has been donated to the cancer research foundation he helped found, the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, Inc. ( MARF), a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose mission is to eradicate mesothelioma as a life ending disease. More important than dollars, he has donated thousands of hours to the foundation, which has funded over $5 million in research grants through a competitive peer-review process.

In 2005, MARF awarded Roger the Congressman Bruce Vento “Hope Builder " Award in recognition of his efforts to persuade industry, the drug companies, trial lawyers, and the federal government to fund therapy-focused mesothelioma research. Roger dedicated the award to his dad, “Punch “Worthington who has asbestosis and lung cancer.

In addition, Worthington has raised over $1 million for the Pacific Heart Lung & Blood Institute (PHLBI), another 501(c)(3) nonprofit research foundation. PHLBI's mission is to improve the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of chest diseases through independent research, collaboration, and education. The foundation is located in Los Angeles, California. Through PHLBI, Worthington has funded the creation of the Punch Worthington Research Laboratory, which is located at the UCLA Medical School in Los Angeles.

Worthington believes in educating our children about the importance of protecting the environment that sustains all life. In 2002, he and his wife/partner Ann endowed a professorship for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Texas in Austin. The course will introduce students to the key concepts of genetics, evolution, and ecology so they will have a better comprehension of the interplay between the population, pollution and natural and manufactured ecosystems.

Roger at Zumwalt DedicationWorthington is active in his community and takes a strong interest in the wellbeing and health of his neighbors in Dana Point, California. He actively promotes cycling as a healthy recreation in California and Oregon His office is a sponsor of the Team OUCH Professional Cycling Team. He readily gives back to the University of Texas. To honor his college mentor, Biology Professor Larry Gilbert, Worthington also provides financial support for Dr. Gilbert’s field research on non-chemical methods for controlling the imported fire ant at the U.T. Brackenridge Field Laboratory in Austin, Texas. In 2002, he and his wife Ann created the Worthington Essay Prize. Click here to learn more about Worthington’s Community Service.

Other Information

  • Phi Beta Kappa
  • Author: "Probing the Constitutionality of the Texas Solid Waste Inspection Scheme" 17 State Bar of Texas Environmental Law Journal 61, 1987
  • Author: "Liability of Officers, Directors and Partners for Violations of Environmental Statutes," Advising Officers, Directors and Partners of Troubled Businesses, State Bar of Texas, February, 1987
  • "SV40, Asbestos and Mesothelioma: Hot Potato, Red Herring or Silver Bullet?" Asbestos, Harris Martin Publishing, Premier Issue, 2000
  • "Time Ripe for Government Funded Effort at Mesothelioma Cure," Asbestos, Harris Martin Publishing, January 2003.
  • Founder, Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, Inc., (501 (c) (3) non-profit), 2000. Congressman Bruce Vento "Hope Builder" Award, MARF, 2006
  • Founder, Pacific Heart, Lung & Blood Institute.