Dr. Edward Rondthaler (June 9, 1905 – August 19, 2009) was a

typographer Typography is the art and technique of Typesetting, arranging type to make written language legibility, legible, readability, readable and beauty, appealing when displayed. The arrangement of type involves selecting typefaces, Point (typogra ...

as well as a simplified spelling champion and chairman of the American Literacy Council. He was critical to the development of SoundSpel. He was born in

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 ...

. A longtime resident of

Croton-on-Hudson, New York Croton-on-Hudson ( ) is a administrative divisions of New York#Village, village in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 8,327 at the 2020 United States census over 8,070 at ...

, Rondthaler became a

centenarian A centenarian is a person who has reached the age of 100. Because life expectancies at birth worldwide are well below 100, the term is invariably associated with longevity. The United Nations estimated that there were 316,600 living centenarian ...

in 2005.

Personal life

Edward Rondthaler was the son of Howard Rondthaler, a Moravian

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

and president of

Salem College Salem College is a private women's liberal arts college in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1772 as a primary school, it later became an academy (high school) and ultimately added the college. It is the oldest female educational esta ...

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the List of municipalities in North Carolina, fifth-most populous ...

, and his wife Katharine Boring, the daughter of a

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

pharmacist. His grandfather (Rev. Edward Rondthaler) was a Moravian church bishop. Rondthaler spent his youth in

Salem, North Carolina Salem is a census-designated place (CDP) in Burke County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,218 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Hickory– Lenoir– Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Gilboa Meth ...

. Rondthaler married Dorothy ("Dot") Reid in 1930. They were married for 72 years up until her death in 2002. The Rondthalers had 3 sons.''Edward Rondthaler – 1905–2009''
Southern Utah Morturary, mortuary.org

Typography and Spelling Reform

Rondthaler received his first small

printing press A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a printing, print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in whi ...

at the age of 5, which began his career in the

graphic arts A category of fine art, graphic art covers a broad range of visual artistic expression, typically two-dimensional graphics, i.e. produced on a flat surface,printing Printing is a process for mass reproducing text and images using a master form or template. The earliest non-paper products involving printing include cylinder seals and objects such as the Cyrus Cylinder and the Cylinders of Nabonidus. The ...

) for photographic lettering, and in 1936 founded and was later

President Emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some ca ...

of Photo-Lettering, Inc. In 1969, Rondthaler, Aaron Burns, and Herb Lubalin founded the

International Typeface Corporation The International Typeface Corporation (ITC) was a type manufacturer founded in New York in 1970 by Aaron Burns, Herb Lubalin and Edward Rondthaler. The company was one of the world's first type foundries to have no history in the production of ...

. For several decades, ITC furnished manufacturers with photographic, electronic, and

laser A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of electromagnetic radiation. The word ''laser'' originated as an acronym for light amplification by stimulated emission of radi ...

equipment and a plethora of

typeface A typeface (or font family) is a design of Letter (alphabet), letters, Numerical digit, numbers and other symbols, to be used in printing or for electronic display. Most typefaces include variations in size (e.g., 24 point), weight (e.g., light, ...

s. Later in life, Rondthaler became interested in promoting

English spelling reform For centuries, there have been movements to reform the spelling of the English language. Such spelling reform seeks to change English orthography so that it is more consistent, matches pronunciation better, and follows the alphabetic principle. ...

, and more specifically SoundSpel, as a means of fighting

illiteracy Literacy is the ability to read and write, while illiteracy refers to an inability to read and write. Some researchers suggest that the study of "literacy" as a concept can be divided into two periods: the period before 1950, when literacy was ...

. In 1986, he and Edward Lias released the ''Dictionary of simplified American Spelling'', which outlined much of what would become SoundSpel. The book writes that " forsees 'sic''">sic.html" ;"title="'sic">'sic''that much of what has been achieved in typesetting modernization can now be utilized to bring about equally significant and beneficial changes in our [English] orthography." Rondthaler was also an avid historian.

Longevity

Rondthaler credited his long and healthy life expectancy, life to clean living, good genes, and regular cold showers. In an interview with

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

, he said "When my brother in 1918 came home from the army, he said, 'Ed, whenever you take a hot shower, end it with an ice-cold one and count to 100.' When your older brother tells you to do something, you do it."100-year-old: Try cold showers for long life
By Jason White, CNN, Friday, August 25, 2006 Rondthaler wrote a weekly letter to the

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...

of the local

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

. Formerly very active in his community, for health reasons he moved to

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

in 2008 to be closer to his family. He died of

natural causes In many legal jurisdictions, the manner of death is a determination, typically made by the coroner, medical examiner, police, or similar officials, and recorded as a vital statistic. Within the United States and the United Kingdom, a distinc ...

in Cedar City, Utah on August 19, 2009, at the age of 104.

Commercials

Since turning 100, Rondthaler had been featured in a number of commercials which have led to his most recent prominence. *Featured in

Genworth Financial Genworth Financial, headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, is an American financial services company. It provides life insurance, long-term care insurance, mortgage insurance, and annuities. History The firm was founded as The Life Insurance Comp ...

''100 + stories'' ad campaign. *Featured in

Pearle Vision Pearle Vision is an American chain of eye care stores. It is one of the largest franchised optical retailers in North America. The company was acquired by Luxottica (which has since merged with Essilor to form EssilorLuxottica), an Italian eyewe ...

''I Have Seen'' ad campaign. *Featured in

House Industries House Industries is a type foundry and design studio based in Yorklyn, Delaware. The company was created in the 1990s in Wilmington, Delaware by co-founders Andy Cruz and Rich Roat. The company is best known for its typeface creations, which have ...

''House Industries Presents Ed Rondthaler'' ad campaign.Ed Rondthaler
House Industries ad campaign

References

External links