Born in 1933 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Robert Pfannebecker is a lawyer and prominent craft collector. The son of two German immigrants, Pfannebecker showed an early interest in chemistry and even pursued three years of undergraduate studies in the field before changing his major. He ultimately completed his BA in German from Franklin & Marshall College in 1955, followed by a JD from the University of Pennsylvania in 1958.  A young lawyer, Pfannebecker made the acquaintance of Lancaster-based artist and gallery owner Don Wright in the early 1960s. With Wright’s encouragement, Pfannebecker soon began acquiring works. Wright had a wide network of artist acquaintances through his studies at Cranbrook Academy of Art and teaching appointments around the country, including noted ceramist and ACC Fellow Patti Warashina and her then-partner, Fred Bauer. After driving cross-country from Pennsylvania to Michigan for a studio visit with the pair, Pfannebecker became an early adopter and lifelong supporter of their work. Pfannebecker continued to grow his collection and expand his network, often collecting directly from MFA students at Cranbrook and Alfred University. By the 1980s, he had built one of the largest and most reputable collections of contemporary craft in the country. Many of the objects are installed at the personal residence of the Pfannebecker family, who built several A-frame outbuildings as supplementary gallery space for the growing collection in the 1970s. As a compliment to their many art objects, the family also uses functional pottery by significant ceramic artists, including ACC Gold Medalists Betty Woodman and Ken Ferguson. Known for his uniquely interpersonal approach to acquiring works and his commitment to supporting artists throughout their careers, Pfannebecker has led the way as a supporter of American craft. In honor of his contributions to the field, he was selected to complete an oral history interview for the Smithsonian Archives of American Art in 1991. Robert Pfannebecker was elected an Honorary Fellow of the American Craft Council in 2009.