Robert David "Bob" Rodale (surname accented on second syllable) (1930 – September 20, 1990) was an American adherent of 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...

 and gardening and a publisher focused on health and wellness lifestyle magazines and books.

Early life and education

Rodale was born in New York City in 1930 to Jerome Irving (J.I.) Rodale

Jerome Irving Rodale

Jerome Irving Rodale , was a playwright, editor, author, and founder of Rodale, Inc....

 and Anna Andrews Rodale. The family moved to 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...

 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

Lehigh University

Lehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines...

 in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...

 from 1947–1951; studying English and journalism.

Personal life

Robert Rodale met his wife, Ardath Harter Rodale, 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

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 Rodale Institute

The Rodale Institute

The Rodale Institute was founded in 1947 by J. I. Rodale as the Soil and Health Foundation. It continues as a working organic crop farm with research trials and a visitor’s center near Kutztown, Pennsylvania....

.

Robert Rodale had competed in the Olympics in rifle shooting

Shooting sports

A shooting sport is a competitive sport involving tests of proficiency using various types of guns such as firearms and airguns . Hunting is also a shooting sport, and indeed shooting live pigeons was an Olympic event...

 and was inducted into the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame

United 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.

Career

Robert joined his father at the Rodale Press in 1951 as an editor. His first assignment was to read the galley proofs for The Organic Farmer, a precursor to Organic Gardening and New Farm magazines. He worked alongside his father as president of Rodale Press until his father's untimely death in 1971. He continued his work with the family publishing firm and non-profit agricultural research organization. That work included editing the high-circulation 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...

. He was the chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Rodale Press at the time of his death by car accident in Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

 in 1990.

Death

On September 20, 1990, Robert Rodale was killed in an auto accident in Moscow

Moscow

Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...

, while in the Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

to establish a Russian-language edition of The New Farmer, one of several publications of Rodale Press devoted to an approach in farming that reduces reliance on chemicals.