Robert Hershberger practiced architecture for over fifty years. He also served as professor of architecture at Arizona State University from 1969 to 1988 and as professor and dean of the College of Architecture at the University of Arizona from 1988 to 2002. He retired from academia in 2002 and moved with his wife, Dee, to Payson, Arizona, to enjoy retirement, continue practicing architecture, and focus on watercolor painting. He served as the primary caregiver for his wife from 2010 to 2015 while she suffered from Alzheimer's disease.