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Robert Powers Struckman was born in Minneaplis, Minnesota, on August 28, 1906. In 1911, he moved with his family to Billings, Montana. In 1913, his family move to a ranch near Big Timber where he completed high school. He received a B.A. in Journalism in 1933 and an M.A. in 1947 from the University of Montana (then known as Montana State University). After completing his B.A., he traveled extensively throughout the United States, working at a variety of jobs and establishing his reputation as a freelance writer. He married Helen Bonde in 1935 and they had four children: Carol Ellen (born 1939), Thomas Tod (1943-1997), Daniel Robert (born 1949), Steven Carl (born 1951, died shortly after birth). Helen was born October 22, 1912. After his marriage, he taught English and journalism at Great Falls High School and taught English at White Sulphur Springs, Montana. He continued to write, but at a decreased pace. He wrote for the Great Falls Leader. In 1941, he became editor of the Montana Farmer. In 1946, he began teaching journalism at the University of Montana, where he taught courses in magazine writing, trade and technical publications, public relations, law, and the high school newspaper. He was director of the Montana Interscholastic Education Association, which served high school newspapers, his entire time at the University. He also helped the university address its post-World War II housing shortage when he spearheaded the Fort Missoula Faculty Housing Association, and sang in the Mendelssohn Club.

He wrote over eighty short stories and two novels; not all were published. He also wrote reviews and articles for many newspapers and popular magazines, including Esquire and Fiction Parade. For a time, he was editor of the Montana Farmer. He died September 6, 1953. Mrs. Struckman died in August 1976.

In 1978, while a student at the University of Montana, Struckman's son Daniel Robert Struckman wrote a biography of his father for his Journalism senior seminar.