LATICRETE founder Dr. Henry M. Rothberg passes away

Words: Jared CooperLATICRETE Founder and Chairman Emeritus, Dr. Henry M. Rothberg, passed away March 17 at the age of 91. Dr. Rothberg started LATICRETE International Inc. in 1956 with his wife, Lillian, who worked as bookkeeper for the fledgling organization. He ran the organization until 2001 when he became chairman emeritus, ceding leadership to his sons Henry and David.

While working as a young man in his family’s South Carolina floor covering installation business, Dr. Rothberg realized that there must be a better way to install ceramic tile. With a background in science and a degree in chemical engineering from the University of South Carolina, Dr. Rothberg began investigating how synthetic latex technologies could be applied to the concrete industry.

After much effort and time, LATICRETE 4237 Latex Thin-Set Additive was developed and taken to market. For the first time, a strong, weather- and shock-resistant “thin-bed” mortar could be mixed on site, using equal parts of sand and cement, replacing thick, heavy and labor-intensive mortar bed installations. The new material created by Dr. Rothberg was brought to the market as “LATICRETE.” As awareness and acceptance of this problem-solving technology increased, ceramic tile and stone became much more common choices for flooring and facade installations.

Among the many honorary awards presented to Dr. Rothberg are the Carl V. Cesery Award (Tile Contractors Association of America), the Joe A. Tarver Award for Lifetime Service to the Tile Industry (National Tile Contractors Association) and induction to the Ceramic Tile Distributors Association (CTDA) Hall of Fame.

An online memorial in remembrance of Dr. Rothberg has been established at www.laticrete.com/in_memoriam.aspx should you like to leave your condolences. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The University of South Carolina Department of Chemical Engineering, 301 Main Street, Columbia, S.C., 29208, or The American Technion Society (ATS), 55 East 59th Street, New York, N.Y., 10022.
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