Ronald Edward Zupko (5 August, 1938 -- 8 November, 2021) was an authority on

historical metrology Historical metrology is the science and study of the different Unit of measurement, units of measurement and measurement systems (including Currency, monetary units) which have been used by various countries and places throughout history. Publish ...

(the study of the history of weights and measures) with an academic background in medieval history. He was known for his books on the history of weights and measures, and had written numerous dictionary and encyclopedia entries on historical measurement units. Born in Youngstown, Ohio, Zupko received his Ph.D. from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

and taught at

Marquette University Marquette University () is a Private university, private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It was established as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, by John Henni, the first Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Ar ...

from 1966 until retiring in 2002. Professor Zupko was a member of the Comité International pour la Métrologie Historique,

Institute for Advanced Study The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) is an independent center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry located in Princeton, New Jersey. It has served as the academic home of internationally preeminent scholars, including Albert Ein ...

(associate member), Mediaeval Academy of America,

Economic History Association The Economic History Association (EHA) was founded in 1940 to "encourage and promote teaching, research, and publication on every phase of economic history and to help preserve and administer materials for research in economic history". It publi ...

National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors The National Association of Watch & Clock Collectors, Inc. (NAWCC) is a nonprofit association of people who share a passion for collecting watches and clocks and studying horology (the art and science of time and timekeeping). The NAWCC's global m ...

, Midwest Medieval Association, Pi Gamma Mu, and

Phi Alpha Theta Phi Alpha Theta () is an American honor society for undergraduate and graduate students and professors of history. It was created in 1921 at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It has more than 400,000 members, with new member ...

Published works

'
British Weights and Measures: A History from Antiquity to the Seventeenth Century
''
hardcover: 224 pages, University of Wisconsin Press (1977), '
French Weights and Measures Before the Revolution: A Dictionary of Provincial and Local Units
''
hardcover: 256 pages, Indiana University Press (1979) '
Italian Weights and Measures from the Middle Ages to the Nineteenth Century
''
hardcover: 339 pages, American Philosophical Society (1981) '
Dictionary of Weights and Measures for the British Isles: The Middle Ages to the 20th Century
''
hardcover, 520 pages, American Philosophical Society (1985) '
Revolution in Measurement: Western European Weights and Measures Since the Age of Science
''
hardcover: 548 pages, American Philosophical Society (1990) '
Straws In The Wind: Medieval Urban Environmental Law--the Case Of Northern Italy
''
co-authored with Robert A Laures
paperback: 160 pages, Westview Press (1996)

Bibliography

Contemporary Authors, vol. 13 (1984)

References

External links

YouTube video (14:36) Dr. Ronald Zupko on The Difference Network at Marquette University

Marquette University History Department, online newsletter, Spring 2009, announcements
* Marquette University - Raynor Memorial Libraries - HISTORY DEPARTMENT
RONALD EDWARD ZUPKO COLLECTION
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zupko, Ronald Edward 1938 births 2021 deaths Metrologists University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Marquette University faculty People from Youngstown, Ohio