Kenneth Roberts
Biography
Kenneth Roberts was born on September 19, 1944, in New Orleans, Louisiana. He is the son of well-known meteorologist Nash C. Roberts and Lydia Leblanc. He grew up in Metairie, Louisiana. He attended public schools and participated in the 4-H club in high school. He started his academic career at the University of New Orleans before transferring to Louisiana State University, where he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in agricultural economics. After receiving his master's degree, Roberts attended Oregon State University and earned a PhD in natural resource economics. Upon graduation from OSU, Roberts worked as a natural resource economist and program director for the Clemson University Sea Grant program. He then spent a year working for the National Sea Grant office as a program monitor before returning to South Carolina. In 1978, Roberts returned to Louisiana as a Marine Extension resource economist for Louisiana Sea Grant. In 2001, he became the associate vice chancellor and associate director of Extension for the Louisiana State University AgCenter. He retired from the LSU AgCenter in the fall of 2006.
Roberts' interview is housed in the T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History at LSU Libraries Special Collections. Roberts, Kenneth, interview by Wyatt Winnie, audio recording, 2014, 4700.2385, Louisiana and Lower Mississippi Valley Collections, LSU Libraries, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.