After 100 years, Edward Rondthaler has his routine down. He writes a weekly column for his local newspaper, walks each morning, does his own errands, and regularly helps others including the Stuttering Foundation. In fact, other than the Foundation's founder Malcolm Fraser, Rondthaler was the first major contributor to the organization.

 

Staying busy keeps Rondthaler in great shape.

 

Being 100 feels like being a year older than 99, he says. 200 is pretty old, but 100 is not.

 

On Nov. 23, 1981, Rondthaler included a $1,000 contribution with a letter he wrote to the then Speech Foundation of America.

 

His letter said, "It is with this enormous pleasure that I send you this check for a thousand dollars. Two weeks ago I received your book Self-Therapy for the Stutterer and have read it with amazement. Every word in it rings true. And I speak from a lifetime of experience ... Today at 76, the severity is much, much less, and for half of my life stammering has been more of an inconvenience than a handicap. What excites me is that at least someone has gotten to the root of the trouble and can write about it in an understanding, lucid way.

 

He continues, When I was a boy, there were many young stammerers. There seem to be fewer now, and for a long time I had been wondering why. It's been a long time since I've seen the little ads that Bogue and others used to have in almost every magazine. Clearly, speech correction has at last risen above quackery, and I'm sure that your foundation has had much to do with that...

 

Rondthaler says he gives to the SFA because it completely changed my life for the good.

 

In fact, he says he's always recommending that others who stutter contact the SFA.

 

I have recommended it to so many people. I'm so happy to support it in any way I can, Rondthaler says. I even give out copies of Malcolm's book.

In 1970, Rondthaler co-founded the International Typeface Corporation an international leader in typeface design and marketing. ITC collaborates with world-class designers to provide a library of over 1,650 classic typefaces and innovative new designs.

 

In 1975, he was awarded the TDC Medal, the award from the Type Directors Club presented to those who have made significant contributions to the life, art, and craft of typography.