Bob Rodale | |
---|---|
Born |
Robert David Rodale March 27, 1930 Manhattan, New York, United States |
Died | September 20, 1990 Moscow, Russian SFSR, USSR (now Moscow, Russian Federation) |
(aged 60)
Cause of death | Car accident |
Known for |
Organic gardening Lehigh Valley Velodrome |
Spouse(s) | Ardath Rodale (m.1951–90); his death |
Children | Maria Rodale |
Parent(s) |
J. I. Rodale Anna Andrews Rodale |
Robert David "Bob" Rodale (surname accented on second syllable) (March 27, 1930 – September 20, 1990) was an American adherent of organic farming, regenerative agriculture, and gardening and a publisher focused on health and wellness lifestyle magazines and books. Rodale was the founder of the Lehigh Valley Velodrome.
Rodale was born in Manhattan in 1930 to Jerome Irving (J.I.) Rodale and Anna Andrews Rodale. The family moved to Emmaus, Pennsylvania 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. Robert learned the basics of farming and gardening while growing up on the family farm in Emmaus. He attended Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania from 1947–1951; studying English and journalism. In the 1970s Robert Rodale played a major role in getting the 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.
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, several of whom are involved in the family-run Rodale Press and Rodale Institute.
Rodale competed in the 1968 Olympics in skeet shooting and was inducted into the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame in 1991.