Dick Whitson was born and raised in Canton, Ohio. He knew from early childhood that he would be an artist, if he grew up. He attended Kent State University and graduated from Carnegie Institute of Technology (Carnegie-Mellon University) with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1952. After two years in the U.S. Army Signal Corps as an illustrator/designer he went to work as an advertising designer with the General Electric Company in Schenectady, N.Y. He later established his own graphic design studio in Philadelphia and in 1962 joined Armstrong Cork Company in their advertising department. He retired from Armstrong as Creative Director of Advertising Design Services in 1995.

During the years at Armstrong he was very active with the Actor's Company of Pennsylvania, designing and painting scenery for over 50 stage productions.

In his retirement he has maintained his creative pace, painting in both oils and watercolors. His work is representational with an emphasis on composition and design.