Ruggles, Richard Irwin

Person

Ruggles, Richard Irwin

1923-2008

Born in Toronto, 27 June 1923, Richard Irwin Ruggles graduated from the University of Toronto, with a B.A. (Hons.) in Geography in the spring of 1945. Two years later he obtained his M.A. (Geography) from the University of Syracuse; and in 1958 he received his Ph.D. (Geography) from the University of London (England). During these years too, he held several posts including that of consutant for the Canadaina Oxford Atlas.
Following receipt of his Doctorate, Richard Ruggles returned to Canada and Kingston, Ontario, where he took up a position as Assistant Professor at Queen's University. In 1962 he was made a full professor. He retired in the summer of 1988.
It was in 1958, at the time of his arrival, that the University was in the process of creating a separate Department of Geography (courses had been offered since 1954 through the Department of Political and Economic Science), and under the headship of Richard Ruggles in 1960 (a position he held until 1969), this goal was realized.
Over the years, Richard Ruggles received numerous awards and other honours, including the National Award of Merit from the Ammerican Associaiton for State and Local History (1970), the Isaak Walton Killam Fellowship (1981-1982), the Award for Services to the Profession of Geography from the Canadian Association of Geographers (1982), the Awared for Service to Geography in Ontario from the Canadain Association of Geographers - Ontario Division (1983), Fellow of the Royal Society of Geographers, and the Distinguished Alumnus Award, University of Toronto Association of Geography Alumni (2001); as well authoring several ground-breaking books, and many articles.
Richard Irwin Ruggles died 9 Janaury 2008, at his home in Duncan, British Columbia.

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