J. I. Rodale facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jerome Irving Rodale
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| Born |
Jerome Irving Cohen
August 16, 1898 New York City, U.S.
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| Died | June 8, 1971 (aged 72) New York City, U.S.
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| Occupation |
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| Known for | Organic gardening |
| Spouse(s) |
Anna Andrews
(m. 1927) |
| Children | 3, including Robert and Ruth |
Jerome Irving Rodale (born Jerome Irving Cohen; August 16, 1898 – June 8, 1971) was an American publisher, editor, and author. He started Rodale, Inc. in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, and also founded The Rodale Institute, which was first known as the Soil Health Foundation.
Rodale was one of the first people in the United States to champion sustainable agriculture and organic farming. He wrote many books and magazines, some of which focused on health. He helped make the word "organic" popular for growing food without harmful chemicals. Rodale also published other types of books, like The Synonym Finder.
On June 8, 1971, Rodale passed away from a heart attack. This happened while he was a guest on a TV show called The Dick Cavett Show. He was 72 years old.
Contents
About Jerome Rodale
Jerome Rodale was born in Manhattan, New York, on August 16, 1898. His father was a grocer who had moved from Poland. Jerome grew up in the busy Lower East Side of New York City.
He changed his last name from Cohen to Rodale. This was a tribute to his mother's maiden name, Rouda. From 1917 to 1921, he worked as an accountant for New York City and for the government's tax service.
In 1923, Rodale and his brother Joseph started a company called Rodale Manufacturing. They made electrical equipment in New York City. Jerome married Anna Andrews in 1927, and they had three children: Robert Rodale, Nina Rodale, and Ruth Rodale Spira.
Rodale was always interested in staying healthy. He had heart murmurs and poor eyesight, which meant he couldn't join the U.S. Army during World War I. To feel better, he read books about health and even created his own exercise machine.
During the Great Depression, the Rodale brothers moved their manufacturing company to Emmaus, Pennsylvania, in 1930 to save money. In the same year, Jerome started Rodale Press, a company that published books and magazines.
Focus on Organic Farming
Rodale became very interested in healthy living, especially eating organically grown foods. This interest grew after he learned about the ideas of Albert Howard, a British farmer. In 1940, Rodale started the Rodale Organic Gardening Experimental Farm.
In 1942, Rodale Press began publishing Organic Farming and Gardening magazine. This magazine taught people about organic horticulture, which is gardening without chemicals. It was later renamed Organic Gardening. In 1945, he wrote "Pay Dirt," which was the first American book about organic gardening.
Rodale believed that farming and health were closely connected. He thought that soil needed compost and that farmers should avoid pesticides and man-made fertilizers. He felt that plants grown in healthy soil would help people stay healthier.
Prevention Magazine
One of Rodale's most successful projects was Prevention magazine, which he started in 1950. This magazine focused on preventing diseases rather than just treating them. It encouraged people to eat whole grains, use less fat, and try natural remedies. It also promoted taking nutritional supplements and avoiding nicotine and caffeine.
Rodale believed that milk and sugar caused many diseases. He was not a vegetarian and sometimes spoke against vegetarianism. He once famously said, "I'm going to live to be 100, unless I'm run down by some sugar-crazed taxi driver."
Rodale also wrote plays and ran two theaters: the Cecilwood Theater in Fishkill, New York, and the Rodale Theater in New York City.
Rodale's Ideas and Criticisms
Jerome Rodale had strong beliefs about health and diet. He made some claims that many medical experts did not agree with. For example, he suggested that sugar could cause people to become criminals. He also blamed certain diseases, like bronchitis, on eating bread.
Rodale also made claims about cancer that were not supported by science. He wrote a book called Happy People Rarely Get Cancer in 1970.
It was reported that Rodale took many food supplements every day. He was criticized for promoting ideas about vitamins that were not proven. Some experts said that his Prevention magazine contained "nonsense" about supplements.
The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America mentioned that many in the farming world thought Rodale was a "crank" or someone who believed in strange ideas. They sometimes called him a "manure-pile worshiper" because of his strong belief in using natural compost.
Jerome Rodale's Passing
On June 8, 1971, Jerome Rodale was a guest on The Dick Cavett Show in New York City. During his interview, he said he felt great and joked about living to be a hundred years old.
After his interview, Rodale stayed on stage and sat next to another guest. Suddenly, he made a sound and slumped over. People in the studio realized something was wrong, and doctors in the audience came to help. They tried to revive him, but he could not be saved. Rodale was pronounced dead at Roosevelt Hospital at age 72. The TV episode where this happened was never shown.
Rodale's Legacy
After Jerome Rodale passed away, his son Robert Rodale took over the publishing company. Robert continued his father's work until he died in a car accident in 1990. Robert also edited Prevention magazine, which became very popular. Robert Rodale was also an Olympic athlete in rifle shooting.
Jerome Rodale's granddaughter, Maria Rodale, later became the head of Rodale, Inc. She says her interest in organic food came from growing up on America's first certified organic farm.
In 2017, a large media company called Hearst bought the magazine and book parts of Rodale Inc. This showed how important and lasting Jerome Rodale's work had become.
Books by Jerome Rodale
- Pay Dirt: Farming & Gardening with Composts, 1945.
- The Synonym Finder, 1978. ISBN: 978-0-87857-236-6
- How to Grow Vegetables and Fruits by the Organic Method, 1961.
- The Word Finder, 1947. ISBN: 978-0-87857-138-3
- The Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening.
- Stone Mulching in the Garden.
- Vegetables.
- The Healthy Hunzas, 1948.
- Are We Really Living Longer?
- Arthritis, Rheumatism, and Your Aching Back.
- Cancer, Facts & Fallacies.
- Happy People Rarely Get Cancer, 1970.
- The Complete Book of Composting.
- The Hairy Falsetto: A One-Act Farcical Social Satire.
- The complete Book of Vitamins, 1966.
- The natural way to better eyesight 1966.
- The Prostate 1967.
- Sugar: The Curse of Civilization, 1967.
- Lower your Pulse and Live Longer, 1971.
- Magnesium, the Nutrient that Could Change Your Life, 1978.
See also
- Men's Health (magazine)
