Fortitude

Though unintentional during its writing, Fortitude could be perceived as an antecedent to J.D. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy about poor whites fifty to seventy-five years ago migrating from southeastern Kentucky to southwestern Ohio to find work. This is the story of a German immigrant orphaned at age twelve—my grandfather, George Adam Rentschler who created an industrial empire in Hamilton, Ohio, that employed thousands including hundreds of hillbillies. And it’s the story of three of his sons, who went on to run Fortune 500/ New York Stock Exchange-listed companies, to our knowledge, the only time this has happened to three brothers. It is a story of the fortitude of these four men. Who are the heroes? Read on!