Melvin H. Ruder (January 19, 1915 – November 19, 2000) was an American journalist,

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

winner, publisher-emeritus of the Hungry Horse News in

Columbia Falls, Montana Columbia Falls is a city along the Flathead River in Flathead County, Montana, United States. The population was 5,308 at the 2020 census. Columbia Falls has been ranked as one of the best and safest places to live in Montana. History The ...

Early life

Mel Ruder was born January 19, 1915, in Manning, North Dakota. In 1937, Ruder graduated from the

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (UND) is a Public university, public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States. It was established by the Dakota Territory, Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishm ...

with a bachelor's degree in journalism and a minor in European history. He would go on to graduate from

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

with a master's degree in sociology in 1942. Ruder served three years as a US Naval officer during World War II.

Career

In 1946, Ruder headed to Columbia Falls, MT where he created the Hungry Horse News which made its debut on August 8, 1946. Ruder's most notable work was his coverage of the June 1964

Flathead River The Flathead River (, , ), in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Montana, originates in the Canadian Rockies to the north of Glacier National Park and flows southwest into Flathead Lake, then after a journey of , empties into the Cla ...

flood, during which the Hungry Horse News published more than 12,000 copies in one week. At its peak in the 1960s, Ruder's Hungry Horse News publication had more than 9,000 weekly subscribers from every state. Ruder retired in 1978, after he sold the publication.

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."

Later life

in April 1999, Ruder suffered a major stroke. He died less than two years later at the Columbia Falls Veterans Home. 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.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruder, Melvin H. 1915 births 2000 deaths American male journalists 20th-century American journalists Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting winners People from Dunn County, North Dakota University of North Dakota alumni Northwestern University alumni 20th-century American naval officers United States Navy personnel of World War II