Our Roots Grow Deep: The Story of Rodale chronicles the uniquely American story of a son of strict religious immigrants who embraced American life in New York City in the early part of the 20th century. In spite of the odds, J.I. Rodale's boundless curiosity and dedication to sometimes eccentric, often innovative ideas on healthy living laid the foundation for the internationally renowned, multimillion-dollar company Rodale, Inc. Starting his entrepreneurial career by manufacturing and selling electric parts, J.I. yearned to publish. He dabbled in writing, obsessively collecting words in envelopes, stockpiling dozens of boxes of words and phrases (precursor to The Synonym Finder, which has sold more than 100,000 copies). When he couldn't interest New York Publishers in his ideas, he published them himself.
Hailed by some as a "visionary" and others as a "quack," J.I. and his wife, Anna, moved from New York to the rural community of Emmaus, Pennsylvania, where they bought a farm and learned how to live the life they wrote about. J.I.'s interest in chemical-free food and his own health led to Organic Farming and Gardening magazine in 1942, and in 1950 to Prevention Magazine. Rodale Press took off, garnering the support of early adopters of healthy lifestyles.
The Federal Trade Commission famously filed charges in 1964 against Rodale, asserting that some of its health claims in advertising its books were misleading J.I. Rodale, fiercely independent and suspicious of government interference, fought the charges for years before a favorable resolution was reached, ensuring the viability of the company's direct-mail business.
After J.I. suffered a fatal heart attack while taping an episode of The Dick Cavett Show in 1971, his son Robert took over the reins of the company. He had followed closely in his father's footsteps, learning the publishing business from a young age. Under his leadership, the company grew rapidly. Bob expanded the original ideas of organic gardening and farming and preventive health care into more far-reaching areas of organic living and healthy active lifestyles. He also infused the company with his own ideas - setting up an agricultural research center, now called the Rodale Institute, to spread the concept of regenerative organic agricultural, both domestically and internationally, and promoting international bicycle racing by building a world-class Velodrome. As his ideas were gaining traction around the world, Bob was tragically killed in a car accident in 1990.
Ardie Rodale, Bob's widow, her children, and grandchildren now carry on the family tradition. The company, still privately owned and run, reaches some 25 million people through Prevention, Organic Gardening, Men?s Health, Women's Health, Best Life, Bicycling, Mountain Bike, Runner's World, and Running Times magazine, in addition to best-selling books such as The Doctors Book of Home Remedies, The South Beach Diet, An Inconvenient Truth, and Eat This Not That!, Web sites, and numerous philanthropic activities.
The concepts of organic food, healthy active living, and environmental responsibility led by Rodale's trail-blazing publishing efforts now have vibrant life of their own in today's mainstream culture.
