Roy Caston Flickinger was born December 17, 1876 in Seneca, Illinois. In 1895 he graduated from Jefferson High School in Chicago. He received his BA from Northwestern University in 1899, and took his MA from the same institution in 1901. He was granted a PhD in 1904 by the University of Chicago, and married Lillian Cook August 25 the same year. He was married a second time to Minnie Keys on December 21, 1932.

From 1899 to 1901 he was an Instructor of Greek at Evanston Academy. He then went to Epworth University where he was Professor of Greek and Latin from 1904 to 1905. He then went to Northwestern University from 1905 to 1923, where he was an instructor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Professor of Greek and Latin, and from 1919-1923 was Dean of Liberal Arts.

Professor Flickinger arrived at the State University of Iowa in 1925, and served as the Head of the Department of Classical Languages until his death July 6, 1942. During his tenure, he served as the business manager of Classical Journal, 1927-1933, and editor-in-chief of that periodical, 1928-1933.