Orville Redenbacher
| Orville Redenbacher | |
|---|---|
Redenbacher in 1979
|
|
| Born |
Orville Clarence Redenbacher July 16, 1907 Brazil, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | September 19, 1995 (aged 88) Coronado, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Heart Attack |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Purdue University |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
| Spouse(s) | Corinne Rosemund Strate (m. 1928–1971, her death) Nina Reder (m. 1971–1991, her death) |
Orville Clarence Redenbacher (July 16, 1907 – September 19, 1995) was an American businessman most often associated with the brand of popcorn that bears his name.
Redenbacher was born in Brazil, Indiana, on July 16, 1907, to William Joseph Redenbacher (1873-1921), a farmer, and Julia Magdalena Dierdorff (1874-1944). He grew up on his family's farm where he sometimes sold popcorn from the back of his car. He graduated from Brazil High School in 1924 in the top 5% of his class. He attended Purdue University, where he joined the agriculture-oriented Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity and the Purdue All-American Marching Band. He also joined the Purdue University track team. He graduated in 1928 with a degree in agronomy. He spent most of his life in the agriculture industry, serving as a Vigo County Farm Bureau extension agent in Terre Haute, Indiana, and at Princeton Farms in Princeton, Indiana.
He started his career selling fertilizer, but spent his spare time working with popcorn. In 1951, he and partner Charlie Bowman bought the George F. Chester and Son seed corn plant near Valparaiso, Indiana. Naming the company "Chester Hybrids", they tried tens of thousands of hybrid strains of popcorn before settling on a hybrid they named "RedBow". This name was used due to neither Redenbacher nor Bowman wanting all the publicity. An advertising agency, however, advised them to use "Orville Redenbacher" as the brand name, advice that cost them $13,000. They launched their popping corn in 1970, and Orville was suddenly everywhere. Redenbacher first appeared on national television in 1973—long before the commercials that featured him promoting popcorn. In an episode of the game show, To Tell the Truth, he stumped the panelists (Kitty Carlisle Hart, Bill Cullen, Joe Garagiola, and Peggy Cass), all of whom were shown enjoying samples of Redenbacher's then-new novelty popping corn flavors, including chili and curry.
...
Wikipedia