Rolf Rodenstock (1 July 1917 – 6 February 1997) was a German industrialist who was born and died in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

Life

Rodenstock studied

marketing Marketing is the act of acquiring, satisfying and retaining customers. It is one of the primary components of Business administration, business management and commerce. Marketing is usually conducted by the seller, typically a retailer or ma ...

and

management Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a Government agency, government bodies through business administration, Nonprofit studies, nonprofit management, or the political s ...

graduating in 1944 with a degree as a Diplom-Kaufmann. In 1947 he became private lecturer. From 1956 to the beginning of the 1980s he was a professor for operational organization, industrial account systems, and technical-economical rationalization at the

Technical University of Munich The Technical University of Munich (TUM or TU Munich; ) is a public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It specializes in engineering, technology, medicine, and applied and natural sciences. Established in 1868 by King Ludwig II ...

. In 1946 he became a member of the management in his father's enterprise. In 1953, after the death of his father, he took over the line of the G. Rodenstock optical works as the CEO. Under his leadership, the company became one of the most prominent manufacturers of

eyeglass Glasses, also known as eyeglasses (American English), spectacles ( Commonwealth English), or colloquially as specs, are vision eyewear with clear or tinted lenses mounted in a frame that holds them in front of a person's eyes, typically ...

lenses, eyeglass designs, frames, and precision

optics Optics is the branch of physics that studies the behaviour and properties of light, including its interactions with matter and the construction of optical instruments, instruments that use or Photodetector, detect it. Optics usually describes t ...

in Europe. Starting in 1983, he shared management with his son Randolf Rodenstock, who took over the operational management in 1990. Rolf Rodenstock remained partner. According to the Encyclopedia of Company Histories, "The rise of Rodenstock to a globally acting major player in the optical market was mainly driven by Alexander Rodenstock's son Rolf. Among many other activities, Rolf Rodenstock served as president of the Chamber of Commerce of Munich and Upper Bavaria from 1971 to 1990 as well as of the Federal association of the German Industries (BDI) from September 1978 through 1984. He was married to Inge Rodenstock (born 1936). They had son Benedict Rodenstock (born 1970).

Publications

* ''Möglichkeiten und Grenzen unternehmerischer Tätigkeit''. Cologne 1973 * ''Macht und Verantwortung der Verbände in der Demokratie''. Cologne 1976 * ''Standortbestimmungen eines Unternehmers''. Cologne 1977

Awards

* 1959: Bavarian Order of Merit * 1977:

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (, or , BVO) is the highest state decoration, federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first List of president ...

* Officer of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

* 1982: Gold Medal of Honour of the City of Munich * 1984: Gold Medal

B'nai B'rith B'nai B'rith International ( ; from ) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit Jewish service organization and was formerly a cultural association for German Jewish immigrants to the United States. B'nai B'rith states that it is committed to the se ...

* 1986: Golden Bayerische Verfassungsmedaille * 1991:

Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria The Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria () is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria. It is divided into 15 classes and is the highest award in the Austrian national honours system. History The Decoration of Hono ...

References

Literature

* Karl Ritter von Klimesch (Hrsg.): ''Köpfe der Politik, Wirtschaft, Kunst und Wissenschaft''. Verlag Johann Wilhelm Naumann, Augsburg 1951, o. S. * Eva Moser (2003), ''Rodenstock, Rolf, in

Neue Deutsche Biographie (''NDB''; Literal translation, literally ''New German Biography'') is a Biography, biographical reference work. It is the successor to the ''Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie'' (ADB, Universal German Biography). The 27 volumes published thus far co ...

(NDB)'' (in German), vol. 21, Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, pp. 696–697

External links

Optische Werke G. Rodenstock GmbH home page

Biographical sketches of the Rodenstocks
Businesspeople from Munich 1917 births 1997 deaths Grand Crosses with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany {{Germany-business-bio-stub