Robert O. Boudreaux was born in Opelousas, Louisiana in 1929 to A. J. and Gladys Hohorst Boudreaux. His father received his degree from the Arkansas College of Pharmacy in 1919 and opened a family drug store in 1923. At home, they listened to Amos `n' Andy, Jack Benny and Fibber McGee and Molly, and The Shadow on the family radio. Movies cost .12 cents and popcorn was a nickel. For transportation they generally rode bicycles. Because they could not get tires during WWII, they could not deliver milk and the family was forced to shut down their dairy farm. In 1950, he joined the Navy and was sent to San Diego for boot camp and at Whidbey Island, Washington, he served as a hospital corpsman and in Seattle worked in the Hospital Corps School in all departments. He was next assigned to Corpus Christie and was there about half a year before transferring to the Marines and going to Camp Lejeune for boot camp. From there he was shipped to Korea where he served on the front lines for one month before being wounded by a hand grenade during a rescue attempt. Robert received a Silver Star for this action. After discharge he attended pharmacy school at the University of Houston and when he graduated, he and his brother, who was also a pharmacist, bought the drugstore from his father. He met his wife Lenetta Douce in Lake Charles and they were married in 1961. He and Lenetta have seven children and fourteen grandchildren.