Jerome Irving Rodale
Encyclopedia
Jerome Irving Rodale (August 16, 1898 – June 8, 1971), was a playwright, editor, author, and founder of Rodale, Inc.
He was one of the first advocates of a return to sustainable agriculture
and organic farming
in the United States
. He founded a publishing empire, founded several magazines, and published many books—his own and those of others—on health. He also published works on a wide variety of other topics, including The Synonym Finder. Rodale popularized the term "organic" to mean grown without pesticides.
on August 16, 1898, the son of a grocer. He grew up on the Lower East Side
. His birth name was Cohen but, thinking it would be a handicap in business, he changed it to a non-Jewish one. He married Anna Andrews in 1927 and had three children: Robert Rodale
(1930–1990), Nina Rodale (who married Robert Hale Horstman and then married Arthur Houghton), and Ruth Rodale.
Inspired by his encounter with the ideas of Albert Howard
, Rodale had an interest in promoting a healthy and active lifestyle that emphasized organically grown foods. He founded Rodale, Inc. in 1930 in Emmaus, Pennsylvania
. He was the founder of Rodale Press
and publisher of Organic Farming and Gardening magazine starting in 1942. Organic Farming and Gardening promoted organic horticulture
; later retitled Organic Gardening, it is the most-read gardening periodical worldwide. To Rodale, agriculture
and health were inseparable. Healthy soil required compost
and eschewing poisonous pesticides and artificial fertilizers. Eating plants grown in such soil would then help humans stay healthier, he expounded.
One of Rodale's most successful projects was Prevention
Magazine, founded in 1950, which promotes preventing disease rather than trying to cure it later. For decades it has been a leading source of information for those in North America interested in alternative health, including before the natural foods movement became popular in the late 1960s. It pioneered the return to whole grains, unrefined sweets, using little fat in food preparation, seldom eating animal products, folk cures, herbal medicines, and breastfeeding. It also promoted consuming more than typical amounts of nutritional supplements and forgoing nicotine and caffeine.
at the age of 72 while participating as a guest on The Dick Cavett Show
. He was still on stage, having finished his interview, and was seated next to the active interviewee, New York Post
columnist Pete Hamill
. According to Cavett, Hamill noticed something was wrong with Rodale, leaned over to Cavett, and said, "This looks bad." According to others, Cavett asked, "Are we boring you, Mr. Rodale?" which Cavett "emphatically" doesn't recall. The episode was never broadcast, although Cavett has described the story in public appearances and on his blog.
Rodale had bragged during his just-completed interview on the show that "I’m in such good health that I fell down a long flight of stairs yesterday and I laughed all the way", "I’ve decided to live to be a hundred", and "I never felt better in my life!" He had also previously bragged, "I'm going to live to be 100, unless I'm run down by some sugar-crazed taxi driver."
in 1991.
He was one of the first advocates of a return to sustainable agriculture
Sustainable agriculture
Sustainable agriculture is the practice of farming using principles of ecology, the study of relationships between organisms and their environment...
and organic farming
Organic farming
Organic farming is the form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control to maintain soil productivity and control pests on a farm...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He founded a publishing empire, founded several magazines, and published many books—his own and those of others—on health. He also published works on a wide variety of other topics, including The Synonym Finder. Rodale popularized the term "organic" to mean grown without pesticides.
Biography
Rodale was born in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on August 16, 1898, the son of a grocer. He grew up on the Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
. His birth name was Cohen but, thinking it would be a handicap in business, he changed it to a non-Jewish one. He married Anna Andrews in 1927 and had three children: Robert Rodale
Robert Rodale
Robert David "Bob" Rodale was an American adherent of organic farming and gardening and a publisher focused on health and wellness lifestyle magazines and books.-Early life and education:...
(1930–1990), Nina Rodale (who married Robert Hale Horstman and then married Arthur Houghton), and Ruth Rodale.
Inspired by his encounter with the ideas of Albert Howard
Albert Howard
Sir Albert Howard was an English botanist, an organic farming pioneer, and a principal figure in the early organic movement. He is considered by many in the English-speaking world as the father of modern organic agriculture....
, Rodale had an interest in promoting a healthy and active lifestyle that emphasized organically grown foods. He founded Rodale, Inc. in 1930 in Emmaus, Pennsylvania
Emmaus, Pennsylvania
Emmaus is a borough in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is located five miles southwest of Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the state.The population of Emmaus was 11,313 at the 2000 census...
. He was the founder of Rodale Press
Rodale Press
Rodale, Inc., is an American publisher of health and wellness magazines, books, and digital properties. Rodale is headquartered in Emmaus, Pennsylvania and also maintains a satellite office in New York City, on Third Avenue....
and publisher of Organic Farming and Gardening magazine starting in 1942. Organic Farming and Gardening promoted organic horticulture
Organic horticulture
Organic horticulture is the science and art of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, or ornamental plants by following the essential principles of organic agriculture in soil building and conservation, pest management, and heirloom variety preservation....
; later retitled Organic Gardening, it is the most-read gardening periodical worldwide. To Rodale, agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
and health were inseparable. Healthy soil required compost
Compost
Compost is organic matter that has been decomposed and recycled as a fertilizer and soil amendment. Compost is a key ingredient in organic farming. At its most essential, the process of composting requires simply piling up waste outdoors and waiting for the materials to break down from anywhere...
and eschewing poisonous pesticides and artificial fertilizers. Eating plants grown in such soil would then help humans stay healthier, he expounded.
One of Rodale's most successful projects was Prevention
Prevention (magazine)
Prevention is an American healthy lifestyle magazine, started in 1950, and published by Rodale Press in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, in the United States. The range of subjects includes food, nutrition, workouts, beauty, and cooking. It was founded by J. I. Rodale...
Magazine, founded in 1950, which promotes preventing disease rather than trying to cure it later. For decades it has been a leading source of information for those in North America interested in alternative health, including before the natural foods movement became popular in the late 1960s. It pioneered the return to whole grains, unrefined sweets, using little fat in food preparation, seldom eating animal products, folk cures, herbal medicines, and breastfeeding. It also promoted consuming more than typical amounts of nutritional supplements and forgoing nicotine and caffeine.
Death
Rodale died of a heart attackMyocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
at the age of 72 while participating as a guest on The Dick Cavett Show
The Dick Cavett Show
The Dick Cavett Show has been the title of several talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett on various television networks, including:* ABC daytime ...
. He was still on stage, having finished his interview, and was seated next to the active interviewee, New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
columnist Pete Hamill
Pete Hamill
Pete Hamill is an American journalist, novelist, essayist, editor and educator. Widely traveled and having written on a broad range of topics, he is perhaps best known for his career as a New York City journalist, as "the author of columns that sought to capture the particular flavors of New York...
. According to Cavett, Hamill noticed something was wrong with Rodale, leaned over to Cavett, and said, "This looks bad." According to others, Cavett asked, "Are we boring you, Mr. Rodale?" which Cavett "emphatically" doesn't recall. The episode was never broadcast, although Cavett has described the story in public appearances and on his blog.
Rodale had bragged during his just-completed interview on the show that "I’m in such good health that I fell down a long flight of stairs yesterday and I laughed all the way", "I’ve decided to live to be a hundred", and "I never felt better in my life!" He had also previously bragged, "I'm going to live to be 100, unless I'm run down by some sugar-crazed taxi driver."
Legacy
After Rodale's death, his son Robert Rodale ran the publishing firm until his own death by car accident. That work included editing the high-circulation Prevention Magazine. Robert Rodale had competed in the Olympics in rifle shooting and was inducted into the United States Bicycling Hall of FameUnited States Bicycling Hall of Fame
The United States Bicycling Hall of Fame, located in Davis, California, is a private organization formed to preserve and promote the sport of cycling.-Location:...
in 1991.
Further reading
- Jackson, Carlton. J.I. Rodale: Apostle of Nonconformity. (New York: Pyramid Books, 1973). This biography details most of the material in the article above.
- Perényi, Eleanor. "Apostle of the Compost Heap". Saturday Evening Post, 16 July 1966: 30-33.
Books by J.I. Rodale
- The Synonym Finder, 1978. ISBN 978-0878572366
- How to Grow Vegetables and Fruits by the Organic Method, 1961.
- The Word Finder, 1947. ISBN 978-0878571383
- The Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening.
- Stone Mulching in the Garden.
- Vegetables.
- The Healthy Hunzas.
- Are We Really Living Longer?
- Arthritis, Rheumatism, and Your Aching Back.
- Cancer, Facts & Fallacies.
- The Complete Book of Composting.
- The Hairy Falsetto: A One-Act Farcical Social Satire.
- Happy People Rarely Get Cancer.
- The complete Book of Vitamins, 1966.