Von Hoffmann Corp. -- By the Book

The old right time, right place adage rewarded Von Hoffmann's desire to address a market need in the early 1960s, according to Uhlenhop. "There was a gentleman named Dr. William Kottmeyer. He was the superintendent of schools for the St. Louis school district, who came up with a spelling series that became the leading series throughout the United States," Uhlenhop recalls.