Edgar Rodman Hon was born in Washington, D.C. on September 28, 1931 to Stella and Edgar E. Hon. He grew up in Hyattsville and Bladensburg, Maryland and went on to attend the University of Maryland and Columbia Technical Institute, Washington, D.C. Hon later completed survey training at the Engineer School in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and was assigned to the Eighth United States Army topographic engineer company in Korea. In 1953-1954, Hon worked on field surveys to update maps with the newly established Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea.

Upon discharge from the Army, Hon joined the staff of Georgetown University’s Graduate School. In 1963, he worked as a cartographer for the Federal government undertaking field surveys for the National Map Division, U.S. Geological Survey, and Department of the Interior. Hon retired as a cartographer in 1984.

Hon moved to McLean, Virginia in 1975, and lived in the Commons of McLean until his death. An avid fan of history, he wrote articles for historical societies in Arkansas, Fairfax County, and Fairfax County Public Library’s Virginia Room. Hon also wrote short fiction stories for Storyteller Magazine. From 2003-2006, Hon collected and compiled news stories and documented the Tyson’s Corner Redevelopment and Silver Line Metro Rail construction. He died at age 76 on November 15, 2007 in McLean, Virginia and is buried in Baltimore National Cemetery.