Ruric Roark

Ruric Roark was born Ruric Creegan Roark on March 13, 1887, in Glasgow, Kentucky, to Ruric Nevel Roark and Mary C. Creegan.

Roark graduated from Dudley high school in Lexington in 1902.  He then attended Kentucky briefly before graduating from the University of Cincinnati with a B.A. degree in 1907.  He earned his master’s degree from Illinois in 1908.

He married Anna Lucretia Brown on September 10, 1913, in Bradford, Pennsylvania.

Dr. Roark served 42 years with the United State Agriculture Department spending nearly 30 years in the research division. He won wide recognition for his contributions to the development of fumigants for agricultural products and for his leadership of research on insecticide residues. His work led to the development of many new pesticides.

In 1956 when he retired, Dr. Roark was honored with the USDA’s Superior Service Award for “inspirational leadership and meritorious service to agriculture” for developing and improving chemical methods for controlling pests. In July 1927, Dr. Roark was appointed chief of the insecticide division of USDA and his unit was presented with a Distinguished Service Award by the Agriculture Department in 1948.

In addition to his contribution to agriculture, Dr. Roark was responsible for chemical research on insect-control materials important to national defense. In 1946, the surgeon general of the Navy commended Dr. Roark and his staff for exceptional service rendered during World War II.

He was the author of some 200 publications dealing with chemistry and economics of insecticides, and was granted ten United State Patents on new insecticides.

He died on May 9, 1962, in Canton, Pennsylvania, at the age of 75, and was buried in Canton, Pennsylvania.