By Syl Marking and Bob Moraczewski     

Bob Rupp will turn 100 Oct. 28^th—very probably making him the first American ag journalist in history to reach that lofty benchmark.

His ascension from Nebraska farm boy to prolific writer and later longtime-editor of The Farmer Magazine, headquartered in St. Paul, MN, and to president of the International Agricultural Editor’s Association was a challenging climb.

His leadership in training, leading and inspiring his staff and leading readers of The Farmer to farm more effectively and profitably was his burning desire and goal.

Writing, editing and crafting information-packed and challenging editorials was a job at which he excelled, as evidenced by a wall covered with trophies. But Rupp went farther than that. Like a very few editors, he was a frequently-requested speaker and traveled hundreds of miles per year through Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota meeting, informing, motivating farmers and making friends for the magazine. He was “a seeing-the-glass-half-full rather than half-empty sort of guy,” say admirers.

Rupp was a highly disciplined man and journalist. He was decorated for combat action in World War II’s Battle of the Bulge and retired as a Bird Colonel in the Army Reserve.  He quit smoking a pipe long ago when medical experts pronounced it a cause of cancer and other health problems. He drank only a half a cup of coffee in the Webb Publishing Company cafeteria when some research pronounced excessive coffee drinking was also unhealthy.

Also, he kept fit by being an avid hunter and fisherman even into his early 90s—which along with good genes probably helped him to reach 100 years lived. He continued to freelance articles at no charge for local newsletters and a local newspaper well into his 90s. He obviously bought into the advice of many medical people: “Use it, or you lose it.”

That’s Bob Rupp at 100. He still has a great head of grey hair and looks 70—no more than 75. It’s wonderful, isn’t it?

Moraczewski & Marking, now long-term retired AAEA members, were writers on Rupp’s staff at The Farmer. Both later became editors of national agriculture magazines.