Rodney was born August 26, 1933 in Valley City, North Dakota in the same home and bed that his mother Alpha was born twenty-three years earlier. Home birthing was common in that place and time.

While growing up Rodney’s father Gordon moved many times to secure better teaching positions. He settled in River Falls, Wisconsin as a Professor at the local college. In High School in River Falls Rodney enjoyed playing baseball, basketball and football. He was class valedictorian. Rodney attended college from 1951 to 1956 at the University of Wisconsin in Madison graduating with degrees in Metallurgical Engineering and Naval Science. Upon graduation he was commissioned a second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps.

On active duty and in the Marine Corps Reserves Rodney commanded ground units at the Platoon, Company, and Battalion levels. In 1957 he went to Nevada as a military observer to “Pricilla” the largest atomic bomb test in the world up to that time. After the explosion he and his fellow Marines walked into ground zero to assess damage to military equipment and weapons. Later he became a member of the National Association of Atomic Veterans.

Rodney was discharged from active duty in 1959 and returned to the University of Wisconsin in Madison to teach and pursue graduate studies. While at the University of Wisconsin Rodney met and married his wife Jane Elizabeth Hess on August 12, 1961.

At Madison, after promotion to Captain, he became Commanding Officer of the 4th 105 Howitzer Battery. As a Major he was S-3 Officer for the 4th Service Battalion, 4th Marine Division, and as a Lieutenant Colonel he was Battalion Commander of the 4th Marine Division Support Group. Later he was an Adjunct Professor at the Marine Corps Command and Staff College at Quantico, VA.

In 1961 he received the M.S. degree in Metallurgical Engineering and in 1964 he received the Ph.D. and that year he began work at the Homer Research Laboratories of Bethlehem Steel Corporation in Bethlehem, PA. At the time of his retirement from Bethlehem Steel Corporation Rodney was in charge of the minerals and coal research for the Corporation. His work took him to many of Bethlehem’s mining operations around the world.

In 1986 Rodney became an Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota at Duluth where he taught courses in minerals processing, and worked with other faculty members to start a new Chemical Engineering Department. That year he also retired from the Marine Corps with the rank of Colonel. The month of his retirement he had the honor of commissioning his son Eric a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps.

In 1988 Rodney joined Midland Standard Incorporated, an engineering consulting firm located in Cleveland, Ohio, as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. He resigned as President of the company in 1991 and started his own consulting business in the field of raw materials processing. While working for Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Midland Standard Incorporated and in his own consulting business Rodney traveled the world working in such places as Chile, Peru, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Southwest Africa (Namibia), Canada, and Mexico.

After retiring Rodney and his wife Jane enjoyed gardening, golf and travelling.