Ken Rollston — 1944-2017

Ken Rollston

Kenneth Carl Rollston died on Jan. 3, 2017, while on a trip to Monterey. He was 72.

Rollston was born on Nov. 14, 1944, in Burbank to Henry and Irene Rollston. Ken graduated from James Monroe High School in North Hills, Calif., in 1962. In 1966 he received his undergraduate degree from Columbia University, where he played varsity baseball, and he earned his law degree from Columbia Law School in 1969. He was admitted to the bar in California in 1970, and he began practicing law in the Tahoe basin in 1974.

Ken was the original staff attorney for the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and served as counsel on various matters for the city of South Lake Tahoe and South Tahoe Public Utility District. He represented many Tahoe businesses including Tahoe Seasons Resort, Tahoe Keys Property Owners Association, Alpine Rentals, and Tamarack Rentals. Ken was on the Lake Tahoe Community College district board for 25 years and served as its president four times. He was instrumental in bringing the Court Appointed Special Advocates program for children to the South Lake Tahoe court system, and he supported youth sports for many years as a baseball coach from Little League up to Senior Babe Ruth.

Ken had many passions, but he especially loved fly fishing, from streams in Big Sky and Kodiak Island to the saltwater flats of Los Roques and Christmas Island. He was a world traveler, an inveterate golfer, a wine connoisseur, and a Dodgers fan since childhood. In recent years, he became a fearsome fantasy football player.

He is survived by his wife, Nancy Carpenter Rollston; sisters Joanne, Garol, Lynne, and Marci; sons Jim and Brian and their wives Keri and Viktoria; Nancy’s sons Christopher and Erik and their wives Yvonne and Andrea; and six grandchildren on whom he doted — Ryland, Kaj, Zane, Miranda, Griffin and Maggie.

A celebration of Ken’s life will be in the spring. The family asks that donations in his memory be sent to the Lake Tahoe Educational Foundation.