Mel Ruder

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 1960's, 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 passed away less than 2 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. "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, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
  4. "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. 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, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. 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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