Summary
Ann Ronald enjoyed outdoor sports while growing up in Seattle, where she graduated from Roosevelt High School. After obtaining her 1961 B.A. from Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, she taught in high school before pursuing graduate degrees in English. She received her M.A. degree in 1966 at the University of Colorado and completed her Ph.D. in Victorian literature at Northwestern University in 1970. At that point, she determined to return to the West and joined the University of Nevada, Reno faculty as assistant professor of English. During her 30+ year career at the University, she taught American and British literature and nature writing and rose to the rank of full professor. She served as Chair of the English Department, Acting Dean of the Graduate School, and Dean of the College of Arts and Science. Focusing her research and writing on landscape, she is recognized as a founding contributor to the field of ecocriticism. She received the Western Literature Association's Wylder Award for Distinguished Service in 1999. She was named a University Foundation Professor in 2001 and earned the University's Outstanding Researcher award in 2005. Following her retirement, she continues to enjoy outdoor adventures. On February 27, 2011, gave a presentation on her new book, Friendly Fallout 1953, as part of the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center's second season of "Small Talk, Big Ideas - Conversations with University Authors" programming.