Robert Ballard Kennedy was born in Sunnyside, Washington, on November 4, 1919. Much of his life revolved around logging. He grew up in logging camps in Western Washington and graduated from Ellensburg High School in 1937. Robert married Theresa Sears in 1942 while they were both attending college. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Logging Engineering from the University of Washington in 1945. After graduation, Robert worked for Weyerhaeuser Company in Snoqualmie, Washington, and for Kinzua Pine Mills in Kinzua, Oregon, as a logging superintendent. He then moved to Klamath Falls in 1957, joining the Bly Logging Company, of which he remained a partner until his retirement in 1978. Throughout his professional life Kennedy served as President of the Intermountain Logging Conference, Oregon Logging Conference, and Pacific Logging Conference, as Chairman of the Blue Mountain and Shasta Cascade chapters of the Society of American Foresters. After retiring, Robert Kennedy served as President of the Klamath County Chamber of Commerce and as a State Representative in the Oregon Legislature from 1980 to 1982. He died on October 14, 2010 in Klamath Falls, Oregon.