Orville redenbacher popcorn biography of william cannon

Born in Brazil, Indiana, on July 16, , Redenbacher grew up on a small corn farm.

Redenbacher was one of four children of William Redenbacher, a farmer, and Julia Magdelena Dierdoff, a home-maker. The entire family helped maintain the farm. Young Redenbacher helped with the chores and by age ten was tending the straw blower on the threshing rig during harvest. Two years later he began raising corn—the crop that would one day make him famous.

His parents allowed him to keep the money he earned from selling his crop in nearby Brazil and Terre Haute , Indiana. Redenbacher was the first in his family to attend high school, traveling approximately fourteen miles from the farm to Brazil, because they offered a vocational agriculture course. While in school he was a member of the Clay County 4-H club, becoming a team state champion in the dairy, poultry, egg, and corn categories.

In individual competition, Redenbacher placed second in a national dairy competition held in Syracuse, New York. During this time he adopted the Clay County agricultural agent Horace Abbott as his mentor. He graduated from Brazil High School in Although Redenbacher had an appointment to the U. During his years at Purdue, Redenbacher played the sousaphone in the Purdue marching band, joined the track team, edited the student newspaper, participated in the local 4-H club, and joined Alpha Gamma Rho, a local fraternity.

When he was not in school, Redenbacher earned tuition and board by working at the Purdue hog and cattle farms. After receiving a B. They were married on 26 December and had three daughters. In Redenbacher realized one of his dreams when his friend and mentor Abbott became an agent for Terre Haute and Vigo County and asked Redenbacher to take his place as the Clay County agricultural agent.