W. Ragsdale Wilmott Ragsdale, a jour- nalist who covered World War II for Time-Life, and then went on to teach a gen- eration of j o u r n a l ism stu- dents at the Uni versity of Wi s c o n sin, has died at age W 1130“ 97. At the Ragsdale —5— 20 7 time of his death, on Janu- ary 16, he was a resident of Tacoma. The advice he gave to stu- dents, many of whom have gone on to become profes» sional journalists around the world, was characteris- tic of his own life: “Be bold.” Known universally as “Rags,” he was born on Au- gust 19, 1911 in Aberdeen. He was named afier his fa- ther, Wilmott Proviso Rags- dale, who came from a fami- ly of abolitionists, and whose name derived from an 1846 congressional proposal that, had it passed, would have prohibited slavery in new U.S. territories. His mother was the former Amy Smith of Birmingham, Iowai Ragsdale spent his early childhood in Shelton, where his father was a pharma- cist, then moved to Tacoma, graduating from Stadium High School in 1929. He spent the early 19305 at- tending the College of Puget Sound and the University of Washington, also work- ing on passenger ships and freighters bound for China, the Philippines, Argentina and Brazil. In 1933, he left col- lege, boarded a freighter to France, and lived two years in Paris, working at the American Library and as a private tutor for a French family. Afier returning to Ta- coma in 1935, Ragsdale started a weekly review and worked as a sports reporter for a Tacoma radio station. He then worked as an assis- tant driller in the oil fields of Southern California, and in 1937, after a job at an Ari» zona gold mine fell through, ended up in Phoenix work- ing as a gardener. That led to a job writing ad copy at night for his boss’s radio sta- tion, and then a job as news editor for Trans Radio Press in Arizona. He married the former Eleanor Jones in 1938, and the couple moved to Chiv cago, where Ragsdale conv tinued to work for Trans Radio Press as a reporter. By autumn of 1939, afier he served a brief stint in Hart ford as bureau chief, Trans Radio Press transferred him to Washington, DC, where he covered the State Depart- ment and the White House The Wall Street Jour- nal hired Ragsdale in 1940 to cover the State Depart- ment and, the following year, Time-Life hired him to cover the same beat, his assignment when Japan at- tacked Pearl Harbor. Dur- ing much of World War II, he was based in London as a correspondent for Time- Life, where he became friends with Robert Capa, Mary Walsh (later Heming- ‘ way), and other war-time Journalists. He crossed the English Channel aboard the destroyer, USS Frank» ford, went ashore at Omaha Beach on the second day of that invasion, then re- mained for a time covering the progress of the ground troops in France. He was aboard the USS Texas when the bridge took a direct hit from an enemy shell at the Battle of Cherhourg. Returning to the US. af- ter the war, he worked as a bridge tender in Tacoma, while trying his hand, with- out success, as a novelist. ‘J It was during this period, in the late 19405, that he alerted newscaster Edward R. Murrow to the Canwell Hearings being held onal- leged communist activities among faculty at the Univer- sity of Washington, which were a precursor to the red- baiting McCarthy Hearings. In 1954, Murrow‘s criticism of McCarthy helped bring about Senator Joseph Mc— Carthy’s downfall. Ragsdale finished his un- dergraduate degree at the University of Washington and obtained a master‘s degree from Johns Hop- kins University in 1952. He taught briefly at the New School in New York City, then taught journalism and English at Grinnell College in Iowa until 1957. Ragsdale and his first wife divorced in 1957 and he married the for- mer Jane Slichter Harnack. Ragsdale wrote for News- week magazine and in 1958 moved to Bangkok, Thai- land, where he was em- ployed by the Asia Founda- tion, setting up a journalism program at Thammassat University, as well as string- ing for Newsweek. After two years in Bang- kok, he began teaching jour- nalism at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where he remained for the next ZO‘years. He won the University of Wisconsin’s Most Valuable Teacher Award twice once from its students, and once from its faculty During that period, he also founded journalism programs at the Univer- sity of the Philippines, in Manila, where he lived in 1964-65 and at American University in Cairo, during 1969-71 He retired from the Univ versity of Wisconsin in 1981 and returned to Tacoma. He taught journalism, at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, until 1992. In his 80s and 90s, he continued to travel widely, with stints abroad in Suma- tra, Bali, Spain and Mozam- bique. In 1996, at age 85, he climbed Mount Kinabalu, at 13,455 feet, the highest peak in the Malay Archipelago. He is survived by wife Jane Slichter Ragsdale of ’7 Missoula, Montana, and daughters Noel Ragsdale of Los Angeles, California, Dana Ragsdale of Rochester, New York, and Amy Rags- dale of Missoula, Montana. Private services will he announced at a later date. Memorial donations may be sent to Amnesty Interna- tional or to the University of Wisconsin School of Jour- nalism. , OCR Text: W. Ragsdale Wilmott Ragsdale, a jour- nalist who covered World War II for Time-Life, and then went on to teach a gen- eration of j o u r n a l ism stu- dents at the Uni versity of Wi s c o n sin, has died at age W 1130“ 97. At the Ragsdale —5— 20 7 time of his death, on Janu- ary 16, he was a resident of Tacoma. The advice he gave to stu- dents, many of whom have gone on to become profes» sional journalists around the world, was characteris- tic of his own life: “Be bold.” Known universally as “Rags,” he was born on Au- gust 19, 1911 in Aberdeen. He was named afier his fa- ther, Wilmott Proviso Rags- dale, who came from a fami- ly of abolitionists, and whose name derived from an 1846 congressional proposal that, had it passed, would have prohibited slavery in new U.S. territories. His mother was the former Amy Smith of Birmingham, Iowai Ragsdale spent his early childhood in Shelton, where his father was a pharma- cist, then moved to Tacoma, graduating from Stadium High School in 1929. He spent the early 19305 at- tending the College of Puget Sound and the University of Washington, also work- ing on passenger ships and freighters bound for China, the Philippines, Argentina and Brazil. In 1933, he left col- lege, boarded a freighter to France, and lived two years in Paris, working at the American Library and as a private tutor for a French family. Afier returning to Ta- coma in 1935, Ragsdale started a weekly review and worked as a sports reporter for a Tacoma radio station. He then worked as an assis- tant driller in the oil fields of Southern California, and in 1937, after a job at an Ari» zona gold mine fell through, ended up in Phoenix work- ing as a gardener. That led to a job writing ad copy at night for his boss’s radio sta- tion, and then a job as news editor for Trans Radio Press in Arizona. He married the former Eleanor Jones in 1938, and the couple moved to Chiv cago, where Ragsdale conv tinued to work for Trans Radio Press as a reporter. By autumn of 1939, afier he served a brief stint in Hart ford as bureau chief, Trans Radio Press transferred him to Washington, DC, where he covered the State Depart- ment and the White House The Wall Street Jour- nal hired Ragsdale in 1940 to cover the State Depart- ment and, the following year, Time-Life hired him to cover the same beat, his assignment when Japan at- tacked Pearl Harbor. Dur- ing much of World War II, he was based in London as a correspondent for Time- Life, where he became friends with Robert Capa, Mary Walsh (later Heming- ‘ way), and other war-time Journalists. He crossed the English Channel aboard the destroyer, USS Frank» ford, went ashore at Omaha Beach on the second day of that invasion, then re- mained for a time covering the progress of the ground troops in France. He was aboard the USS Texas when the bridge took a direct hit from an enemy shell at the Battle of Cherhourg. Returning to the US. af- ter the war, he worked as a bridge tender in Tacoma, while trying his hand, with- out success, as a novelist. ‘J It was during this period, in the late 19405, that he alerted newscaster Edward R. Murrow to the Canwell Hearings being held onal- leged communist activities among faculty at the Univer- sity of Washington, which were a precursor to the red- baiting McCarthy Hearings. In 1954, Murrow‘s criticism of McCarthy helped bring about Senator Joseph Mc— Carthy’s downfall. Ragsdale finished his un- dergraduate degree at the University of Washington and obtained a master‘s degree from Johns Hop- kins University in 1952. He taught briefly at the New School in New York City, then taught journalism and English at Grinnell College in Iowa until 1957. Ragsdale and his first wife divorced in 1957 and he married the for- mer Jane Slichter Harnack. Ragsdale wrote for News- week magazine and in 1958 moved to Bangkok, Thai- land, where he was em- ployed by the Asia Founda- tion, setting up a journalism program at Thammassat University, as well as string- ing for Newsweek. After two years in Bang- kok, he began teaching jour- nalism at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where he remained for the next ZO‘years. He won the University of Wisconsin’s Most Valuable Teacher Award twice once from its students, and once from its faculty During that period, he also founded journalism programs at the Univer- sity of the Philippines, in Manila, where he lived in 1964-65 and at American University in Cairo, during 1969-71 He retired from the Univ versity of Wisconsin in 1981 and returned to Tacoma. He taught journalism, at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, until 1992. In his 80s and 90s, he continued to travel widely, with stints abroad in Suma- tra, Bali, Spain and Mozam- bique. In 1996, at age 85, he climbed Mount Kinabalu, at 13,455 feet, the highest peak in the Malay Archipelago. He is survived by wife Jane Slichter Ragsdale of ’7 Missoula, Montana, and daughters Noel Ragsdale of Los Angeles, California, Dana Ragsdale of Rochester, New York, and Amy Rags- dale of Missoula, Montana. Private services will he announced at a later date. Memorial donations may be sent to Amnesty Interna- tional or to the University of Wisconsin School of Jour- nalism. , Mason County Genealogical Society,Obituaries,Other Obituaries,R Last Name,Ragsdale, Wilmott.tif,Ragsdale, Wilmott.tif, Ragsdale, Wilmott.tif