Vernon W. Ruttan, of St Paul, MN, passed away Aug 18. Ruttan, 84, is the son of the late Ward and Marjorie Ruttan of Rapid River Township. He graduated from Kalkaksa High School in 1972. He attended Michigan Agricultural College and after being discharged from the Army, graduated from Yale University.
Ruttan received his Ph.D. in economics at the University of Chicago. He taught at Purdue University and then at the University of California. He was also on the staff of the Council of Economic Advisors during the Kennedy administration.
Ruttan subsequently worked for the Rockefeller Foundation International Rice Research Institute until he joined the University of Minnesota as the head of the Applied Economics Department. After retiring from the University in 2002, Ruttan engaged in lectures, seminars, mentoring, and writing. He is survived by his wife Marilyn, four children and five grandchildren. Other surviving relatives are sisters: Robert Turner, Beverly Gustke and brother, Melvin.
