The Harvest Story

Born on a farm in northwestern Indiana, Dr. Robert T. Rhode traveled with his parents to the Central States Threshermen's Reunion at Pontiac, Illinois every summer from the time he was 1 year old. There, he came to appreciate the North American agricultural heritage. His great uncle ran steam traction engines; his father grew up during the steam era and helped his uncle run engines; and his mother remembered playing on steam engines parked in the factory yard of the Keck-Gonnerman Company, manufacturers of threshing equipment, in her hometown of Mt. Vernon, Indiana. Rhode earned his baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral degrees in English from the Indiana University School of Music. His Ph.D. is in early American literature, and he is a recipient of the Indiana University Lieber Award for Distinguished Teaching by an Associate Instructor, as well as the NKU Alumni Association's Strongest Influence Award. Rhode has taught at Northern Kentucky University since 1981, and he directed NKU's Honors Program for gifted students for 11 years. His specialties include the literature and history of the steam era, Edgar Allan Poe and Walt Whitman. In 1997, Rhode was promoted to the rank of full professor. He has published 50 articles on agricultural literature and history and over 30 articles on other subjects, and has co-authored two books on effective writing. Rhode is the owner of a 65-horsepower 1923 J. I. Case agricultural traction engine (serial number 35654), and he regularly exhibits it at threshing reunions.