Dr. John Basin Robson, who was born in 1899, earned a teacher’s certificate from the Alabama Normal School in 1920 and Artium Baccalaureus (AB) in chemistry and biology from Louisiana State Normal School, now Northwestern State University, in 1928.  He earned a master’s in chemistry and biology at Louisiana State University in 1937 and a Ph.D. in secondary education and psychology at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College in 1944.

Robson began his career teaching at West Point, Miss., and was a teacher and principal at Natchitoches High School, Vowell’s Mill, Cloutierville and Robeline until becoming a supervisor in Natchitoches in 1934. He went on to serve as state supervisor and was named Dean of Education at Northwestern State in 1945.  He served as head of the Department of Education and Psychology at Northwestern State and Louisiana College and returned to NSU as director of instructional programs and materials for the North Louisiana Supplementary Education Center.  Robson passed away in 1968.