Robert David Rodale (Cohen) (March 27, 1930 – September 20, 1990) was an American publisher who was president and chief executive officer of

Rodale, Inc. Rodale, Inc. (), was an American publisher of health and wellness magazines, books, and digital properties headquartered in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, with a satellite office in New York City. The company was founded in 1930. In 2017, it was acquired ...

, a company founded in 1930 by his father J. I. Rodale in

Emmaus, Pennsylvania Emmaus ( ) is a borough in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, it had a population of 11,652. Emmaus is located in the Lehigh Valley, the third-largest metropolitan area in Pennsylvania and 68th-largest metrop ...

. Rodale was an adherent of

organic farming Organic farming, also known as organic agriculture or ecological farming or biological farming,Labelling, article 30 o''Regulation (EU) 2018/848 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2024 on organic production and labelling of ...

regenerative agriculture Regenerative agriculture is a conservation and rehabilitation approach to food and farming systems. It focuses on topsoil regeneration, increasing biodiversity, improving the water cycle, enhancing ecosystem services, supporting biosequestration ...

, and

gardening Gardening is the process of growing plants for their vegetables, fruits, flowers, herbs, and appearances within a designated space. Gardens fulfill a wide assortment of purposes, notably the production of Aesthetics, aesthetically pleasing area ...

and a publisher focused on health and wellness lifestyle magazines and books.Jane Potter Gates, Robert Rodale, National Agricultural Library (U.S.) and the United States Department of Agriculture Video and Teleconference Division. (1989). "Oral history interview with Mr. Robert Rodale"
Beltsville, Md.: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture,

National Agricultural Library The United States National Agricultural Library (NAL) is one of the world's largest agricultural research libraries, and serves as a national library of the United States and as the library of the United States Department of Agriculture. Locate ...

; Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Video and Teleconference Division. Retrieved January 2, 2009. Rodale was the founder of the Lehigh Valley Velodrome.

Early life and education

Rodale was born in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

in 1930 to J. I. Rodale and Anna Andrews Rodale. The family moved to

shortly after Robert's birth when J.I. and his brother Joseph established an electrical manufacturing company there. He had two sisters, Nina and Ruth.Nina Rodale Engaged. She Will Be Wed in April to Robert Hale Horstman
(Sunday, January 6, 1957).

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

. Retrieved January 2, 2009.J. I. Rodale Dead. Organic Farmer. Espoused the Avoidance of Chemical Fertilizers.
(Tuesday, June 8, 1971). New York Times. Retrieved January 2, 2009. Robert learned the basics of farming and gardening while growing up on the family farm in Emmaus. He attended

Lehigh University Lehigh University (LU), in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States, is a private university, private research university. The university was established in 1865 by businessman Asa Packer. Lehigh University's undergraduate programs have been mixed ...

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Bethlehem is a city in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, Northampton and Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, Lehigh counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Bethle ...

from 1947 to 1951, studying English and journalism. In the 1970s, Robert Rodale played a major role in getting the Pennsylvania state government's attention through his Cornucopia Project, which stimulated the publication of state-level analyses of how readily local demand could be met by local supply. At a time of increasing energy prices, a new emphasis on eating local became his platform for a more sustainable way of engaging with his community.

Career

Robert joined his father at Rodale Press in 1951 as an editor. His first assignment was to read

galley proofs In printing and publishing, proofs are the preliminary versions of publications meant for review by authors, editors, and proofreaders, often with extra-wide margins. Galley proofs may be uncut and unbound, or in some cases electronically tra ...

for ''The Organic Farmer'', a precursor to ''Organic Gardening'' and ''New Farm'' magazines. He worked alongside his father as president of Rodale Press until his father's death in 1971 during a television interview with

Dick Cavett Richard Alva Cavett (; born November 19, 1936) is an American television personality and former talk show host. He appeared regularly on nationally broadcast television in the United States from the 1960s through the 2000s. In later years, Cave ...

. Robert was the U.S. representative at the November 5, 1972 founding of the

International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements IFOAM – Organics International (formerly known as the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements) is a worldwide organization advocating for organics, with over 700 affiliates in more than 100 countries and territories. Histo ...

(now IFOAM-Organics International) at

Versailles, France Versailles ( , ) is a commune in the department of the Yvelines, Île-de-France, known worldwide for the Château de Versailles and the gardens of Versailles, which is designated an UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Located in the western suburbs ...

. Rodale was named chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Rodale Press, which grew to exceed $200 million in revenue under his management.Publisher killed in Moscow crash,"
Associated Press, September 21, 1990

Sports

Rodale competed in the 1968 Olympics in

skeet shooting Skeet shooting is a recreational and competitive activity whose participants use shotguns to attempt to break clay targets which two fixed stations mechanically fling into the air at high speed and at a variety of angles. Skeet is one of the ...

and was inducted into the

United States Bicycling Hall of Fame The United States Bicycling Hall of Fame, located in Davis, California, is a private 501c3 non-profit organization formed to preserve and promote the sport of cycling. The organization was founded in 1986 in Somerville, New Jersey and has induct ...

in 1991.

Personal life

Rodale met his wife, Ardath Harter, at a square dance party held at her family home. His father "suggested" her as a wife for Robert after dancing with her himself. Robert and Ardath married in June 1951 after a short courtship. The couple had five children,Ardath Rodale: Rodale Board Member and Chief Inspiration Officer of Rodale Inc.
Retrieved January 2, 2009. several of whom became involved in the family-run Rodale Press and Rodale Institute.

Death

On September 20, 1990, Rodale was killed in an auto accident in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

while in the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

to establish a

Russian language Russian is an East Slavic languages, East Slavic language belonging to the Balto-Slavic languages, Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family. It is one of the four extant East Slavic languages, and is ...

edition of ''The New Farmer'', one of several Rodale Press publications devoted to chemical-free farming. Also killed in the accident were the Russian publisher of the magazine and Rodale's interpreter.Publisher killed in Moscow crash,"
Associated Press, September 21, 1990 Rodale's wife Ardath died in 2009 at 81.

Publications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodale, Robert 1930 births 1990 deaths 20th-century American businesspeople American male sport shooters American publishers (people) Farmers from Pennsylvania Olympic shooters for the United States Organic farmers Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in shooting People from Lehigh County, Pennsylvania Road incident deaths in the Soviet Union Rodale, Inc. Shooters at the 1967 Pan American Games Shooters at the 1968 Summer Olympics 20th-century American sportsmen