Robert H.T. Dodson was born in 1926. In 1942, he became a messenger in the United States Navy Department in Washington, D.C. During that time, Dodson met Finn Ronne and told him he was interested in going to Antarctica. He kept in touch with Ronne and Ronne's wife, Jackie, throughout his time in the Navy and in college. Dodson later introduced Ronne to his father, Captain Harry L. Dodson, a career Naval officer who helped Ronne obtain a ship for the Ronne Antarctic Research Expedition (RARE.) Ronne added Robert to the expedition’s roster in thanks. Dodson took his final exams on board the ship to Antarctica in 1946, and was notified of his graduation from Harvard by wireless message six weeks later. When the group arrived in Marguerite Bay, Antarctica, much of the base’s buildings and machines were covered in snow and ice. Dodson was one of the crew members who spent the first 4-6 weeks preparing the base for occupancy by chipping items out of the ice, before the rest disembarked the ship. While in Antarctica, Dodson tested clothing and other equipment for the Quartermaster Corps of the United States Army.

Dodson and Arthur Owen learned to drive a dog sled team and were put in charge of the dogs. They used the dog sleds to transport ice and supplies. Dodson and Harries-Clichy Peterson spent several days on a plateau about 30 miles from camp, where they took meteorological readings of wind speed and wind chill. On their way back to camp, Peterson fell into a crevasse and was trapped for 10 hours, until Dodson returned with a rescue team. While in Antarctica, Dodson took a 3-month dog team journey from Stonington Island with geologist Bob Nichols to make geological observations. After returning to the United States in April 1948, Dodson spent the next month writing reports on the equipment he’d tested for the Quartermaster Corps. He continued lecturing on Antarctic cruises until at least 2000. Dodson died December 12, 2022. Dodson Peninsula in Antarctica is named for Dodson and his father, Harry L. Dodson.