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Robert Carver Notson was born in Lexington, Oregon on December 28, 1902, to Samuel Edward Notson (1867-1937) and Mary Ann Notson (nee Nelson), a family whose ancestors came to North America on the Mayflower. He attended grade school in Heppner, Oregon, and high school in Salem, Oregon. Notson's career in journalism began at age twelve when he edited and printed a community newspaper, The Heppner Budget. While at Salem High School, Notson served as editor of The Clarion newspaper and The Clarion Annual. After graduating in 1920, he enrolled at Willamette University, where he wrote for The Collegian and edited the Wallulah yearbook his junior year. During his senior year Notson served as news editor of The Oregon Statesman. Notson also participated in debate teams both in high school and college and toured nationally with Willamette's debate team. Notson '24 married classmate Adelia White '25 on June 5, 1926, and they had two children, Jane (Notson) Gregg '54 and Ann (Notson) Poling '57.

After graduating from Willamette, Notson attended Columbia University School of Journalism in New York City and then worked for The Brooklyn Eagle. He returned to Portland and was hired by The Oregonian to cover the Rose Festival in June of 1925, the start of a 50-year career at that newspaper.

Beginning as a reporter in 1925, Notson moved to the position of Assistant Night City Editor in 1933. In 1934 he was promoted to Night City Editor, a position he held for two years before moving up to City Editor in 1936. In 1941 Notson was made Managing Editor. From this position he moved to Executive Editor in 1965 and in 1968 he became the publisher of The Oregonian, the position he held until his retirement in 1975.

While at The Oregonian, Notson also served on various committees and boards. He was director of the American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE) from 1962 to 1968 and served as president from 1966 to 1967, during which time he had occasion to meet with President Lyndon B. Johnson at the White House. He was President of Willamette University's Alumni Association in 1930 and served on the Board of Trustees from 1931 to 1971 (vice president from 1958 to 1971), later honored as a Willamette University Life Trustee. He served as a board member of the Associated Press Managing Editors Association (APMEA) from 1959 to 1965, and he was a member of the Advisory Council of the University of Oregon Health Sciences Center (UOHSC) after his retirement from The Oregonian. In his capacity as a Mayflower descendant, Notson was an active participant in both the General Society of Mayflower Descendants (GSMD) and the Society of Mayflower Descendants in the State of Oregon (SMDSO), serving, among other roles, as deputy governor and program chair of the latter organization.

Notson received many honors during his life time. He was given the Oregon Newspaper Association's Voorhies Awards in 1974 for his outstanding contributions to journalism. He was made an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by Willamette University in 1971. He also received the Les Sparks Medallion from Willamette's Alumni Association in 1994, in recognition of his years of loyalty and service to the University.