Melvin H. Ruder (January 19, 1915 – November 19, 2000) was an American journalist, Pulitzer Prize winner, publisher-emeritus of The Hungry Horse News in Columbia Falls, Montana.[1][2]

Early life

Mel Ruder was born January 19, 1915, in Manning, North Dakota.[1] In 1937, Ruder graduated from the University of North Dakota with a bachelor's degree in journalism and a minor in European history. He would go on to graduate from Northwestern University with a master's degree in sociology in 1942.[3] Ruder served three years as a US Naval officer during World War II.[1]

Career

In 1946, Ruder headed to Columbia Falls, MT where he created the Hungry Horse News which made its debut on August 8, 1946.[4] Ruder's most notable work was his coverage of the June 1964 Flathead River flood, during which the Hungry Horse News published more than 12,000 copies in one week.[5][6] At its peak in the 1960s, Ruder's Hungry Horse News publication had more than 9,000 weekly subscribers from every state.[6] Ruder retired in 1978, after he sold the publication.[7]

Pulitzer Prize

In 1965, Ruder was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in the category of "Local General or Spot News Reporting". His award citation reads: "For his daring and resourceful coverage of a disastrous flood that threatened his community, an individual effort in the finest tradition of spot news reporting."[8]

Later life

in April 1999, Ruder suffered a major stroke. He died less than two years later at the Columbia Falls Veterans Home.[4] Ruder was the subject of the book titled Pictures, a Park, and a Pulitzer: Mel Ruder and the Hungry Horse News. The book documents the first 32 years of The Hungry Horse News.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Mel Ruder: Montana's first Pulitzer winner, dies at 85". The Billings Gazette. November 19, 2000. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  2. ^ "Mel Ruder, 85, Publisher and Prize Winner (Published 2000)". The New York Times. November 23, 2000. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
  3. ^ "Hungry Horse News (Columbia Falls, Mont.) 1948-Current". Library of Congress. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Mel Ruder: Montana's first Pulitzer winner, dies at 85". Helena Independent Record. November 20, 2000. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  5. ^ Inbody, Kristen (May 31, 2014). "'It was a nightmare' along Flathead in 1964 flood". Great Falls Tribune. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Lawrence, Tom (November 20, 2000). "Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ruder dies". missoulian.com. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  7. ^ "Hungry Horse News (Columbia Falls, Mont.) 1948-Current". Library of Congress. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  8. ^ "1965 Pulitzer Prize Winners & Finalists". www.pulitzer.org. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
  9. ^ Lawrence, Tom (September 1, 2000). Pictures, a Park, and a Pulitzer: Mel Ruder and the Hungry Horse News. Farcountry Press/Montana Magazine. ISBN 978-1-56037-163-2.
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