Robert Newton was born in Long Beach, California, in 1940, but was raised in Wyoming. His father owned and published the Wyoming State Journal, a bi-weekly newspaper. After graduating from high school, Newton attended Oregon State University his freshman year, then transferred to the University of Wyoming and graduated with a degree in commerce and industry. Newton joined the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) in college and was the top cadet officer his senior year. He graduated from college in 1962. Newton then joined the Air Force. and was assigned to the Minute-Missile Program of Strategic Air Command. His career with the Air Force took him all over the Mid-West. After leaving the Air Force, Newton began working for a small consulting firm, funded by the Duke Endowment, studying electronic data processing automation in hospitals. Newton worked in that role serving three different hospitals located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Greenville, South Carolina. Once his role in the study ended, Newton was invited to work in a similar position at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He was eventually offered the position of Chief Financial Officer in Charlotte. In 1981, Newton was invited by Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital to serve as their Chief Financial Officer in Greensboro, North Carolina. He remained at Cone Hospital for twenty-five years. Newton joined the Rotary Club of Greensboro in 1987, inspired by his father who had been a Rotarian since 1935 in his hometown of Lander, Wyoming.
