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Chester Ronning
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{{Short description|Canadian educator, politician, and diplomat}} {{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}} {{Infobox person |name=Chester Ronning |honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=CAN|CC|AOE|size=100%}} |birth_name = Chester Alvin Ronning |birth_date = {{birth date|1894|12|13}} |birth_place = [[Fancheng]], [[China]] |death_date = {{death date and age|mf=yes|1984|12|31|1894|12|13}} |death_place = [[Camrose, Alberta]], Canada |occupation = {{hlist|Teacher| college principal|politician|diplomat}} |alma_mater = [[University of Alberta]] |nationality = [[Canadians|Canadian]] }} '''Chester Alvin Ronning''' {{post-nominals|country=CAN|CC|AOE}} (December 13, 1894 – December 31, 1984) was a [[Canadians|Canadian]] educator, politician, and diplomat.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Dr. Chester A. Ronning |url=https://www.alberta.ca/aoe-chester-ronning.aspx |access-date=2025-02-25 |website=The Alberta Order of Excellence - Alberta.ca |language=en-CA}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Mr. Chester A. Ronning|url=https://www.gg.ca/en/honours/recipients/146-2547|access-date=November 16, 2020|website=Governor General of Canada}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Pace|first=Eric|date=1985-01-01|title=CHESTER A. RONNING IS DEAD; VETERAN CANADIAN DIPLOMAT (Published 1985)|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1985/01/01/world/chester-a-ronning-is-dead-veteran-canadian-diplomat.html|access-date=2020-11-16|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="Canada">{{Citation|last=Canada|first=National Film Board of|title=China Mission: The Chester Ronning Story|url=https://www.nfb.ca/film/china_mission_the_chester_ronning_story/|language=en|access-date=2020-11-16}}</ref> Ronning was born in [[Fancheng]], China, now in [[Xiangyang]], [[Hubei province]], the son of [[Norwegians|Norwegian]] American [[Lutheran]] missionaries, and graduated from the [[University of Alberta]] in 1916 with a B.Sc. Ronning's family moved from China to the [[Peace River country]] of Alberta. Halvor Ronning, Chester's father, was instrumental in establishing a Norwegian settlement north-west of Grande Prairie called [[Valhalla Centre]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Provincial Historic Resource: Ronning Homestead |url=http://www.cd.gov.ab.ca/preserving/heritage/pands/designation/list_2001/phr-1990/index.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060524001339/http://www.cd.gov.ab.ca/preserving/heritage/pands/designation/list_2001/phr-1990/index.asp |archive-date=May 24, 2006 |website=Alberta Government - Provincial Historic Resource}}</ref> When Chester Ronning started his studies at the University of Alberta, he travelled by horse from Valhalla Centre to Edmonton along the [[Edson Trail]]. This was the only "road" connecting the Peace country to the provincial capital. In later years the [[Northern Alberta Railway]] (now part of Canadian National Railway) was constructed.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Evans |first=Brian |url=https://archive.org/details/remarkablecheste0000evan |title=The Remarkable Chester Ronning: Proud Son of China |publisher=University of Alberta Press |year=2013 |isbn=9780888646637 |location=Edmonton}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Ronning |first=Chester |title=A Memoir of China in Revolution: From the Boxer Rebellion to the People's Republic |publisher=Pantheon Books |year=1974 |isbn=0394472551 |location=New York}}</ref><ref name="Canada"/> He returned to China to serve as a missionary from 1922 to 1927 and then returned to Alberta where he took up a position as Principal of the [[Augustana University College|Camrose Lutheran College]], a position he held for 15 years. In 1942 he submitted a master's thesis to the University of Alberta's College of Education entitled "A study of an Alberta Protestant private school: the Camrose Lutheran College, a residential high school."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ronning |first=Chester |date=1942 |title=A study of an Alberta Protestant private school : the Camrose Lutheran College, a residential high school |url=https://archive.org/details/studyofalbertapr00ronn |access-date=2025-02-25 |website=University of Alberta Collection - Internet Archive}}</ref> He was a member of the [[United Farmers of Alberta]] and on October 25, 1932, he was elected in a by-election for [[Camrose (provincial electoral district)|Camrose]]. From his entry into the legislature, he was an outspoken adherent of the newly formed [[Co-operative Commonwealth Federation]] party.<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 2, 1933 |title=The Wetaskiwin times |url=https://archive.org/details/WKT_1933020201/ |access-date=2025-02-25}}</ref> He was defeated in the [[1935 Alberta general election|1935 provincial election]] that wiped out the UFA government. He was leader of the [[New Democratic Party of Alberta|Alberta CCF]] from 1940 to 1942. The [[1940 Alberta general election|1940 Alberta election]] saw no CCFers elected despite winning 11 per cent of the vote. Ronning stepped aside as leader in favour of [[Elmer Roper]], who won a 1942 [[by-election]] to become Alberta's first elected CCF MLA. Ronning ran unsuccessfully for the CCF in the [[1945 Canadian federal election|1945 federal election]] in the riding of Camrose, losing to the [[Social Credit Party of Canada|Social Credit]] candidate, [[James Alexander Marshall]].<ref name=":0" /> Ronning served in diplomatic posts in China (1945β1951), [[Norway]] (1954β1957), [[India]] (1957β1964) and the [[United Nations]]. He also participated in the international commissions on Korea (1954) and Laos (1961β62) and undertook special missions to Hanoi (1965β66) in attempts to mediate the [[Vietnam War]]. In 1967 he was made an Officer of the [[Order of Canada]] and was promoted to Companion in 1972. He was inducted into the [[Alberta Order of Excellence]] in 1983.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name="Canada"/> The legacy of Ronning continues with the ''Chester Ronning Centre for the Study of Religion and Public Life''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chester Ronning Centre for the Study of Religion and Public Life | Augustana Campus, University of Alberta |url=https://www.ualberta.ca/augustana/research/centres/crc/index.html |access-date=November 16, 2020}}</ref> at the [[University of Alberta Augustana Campus]] in Camrose, Alberta. The Centre exists to facilitate interdisciplinary research, critical teaching, ethical reflection, and public programming on a range of issues in which religious communities, practices and ideas are directly implicated, or on which thoughtful religious perspectives might be brought to bear. Chester Ronning School in Camrose, Alberta, is also named after him.<ref name=":2" />
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