He was born on a small family farm in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, to Pauline Beville and John Robert Pamplin, attended Midway High School in Dinwiddie County, and in the fall of 1929 began attending Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VPI).

In 1954, the company re-located its headquarters to Portland, Oregon, partly in response to Pamplin's suggestion.

Pick (former Army Lt. General and VPI alumni) at Georgia-Pacific and terminated his employment on July 1, 1955.

After taking time off and traveling in Canada, he returned to Georgia-Pacific and served as President of the company from 1957 until his retirement in 1976.

[1] Robert Pamplin died on June 24, 2009, at his home in Dunthorpe, Oregon, near Portland at the age of 97.