Ronald Rudloff Ingle

Ronald Rudloff Ingle, former President of Coastal Carolina University, died at his home in Murrells Inlet on January 18, 2023 after a long illness. He is survived by Judith, his loving wife of 57 years, son David and daughter-in-law Mary Anne (Athens, GA) and his beloved grandchildren Joseph (Hillsboro, OR), Madeleine, and Eliza (both of Athens GA), and son Stephen (Ellicott City, MD). He was predeceased by his parents, Viv and Mae Ingle (Moncks Corner, SC) and his brother Billy (Summerville, SC).
Born on April 9, 1940 in Shelby, NC, Ronald was raised in Moncks Corner, SC. He graduated from Berkeley County High School in 1958 and attended Wofford College from 1958 to 1962, from which he graduated with a B.A. in English. He went on to earn an M.A. in higher education administration from Florida State University in 1963 and a PhD in psychology from Ohio State University in 1972. Between 1964 and 1966, he served as an active duty officer in the United States Army, retiring at the rank of Captain. His career in higher education, which lasted over 50 years, began at Kennesaw State Junior College in 1967. In 1972, he joined the faculty of the University of South Carolina, where he honed his administrative and leadership skills and eventually rose to the rank of associate dean of the College of Applied and Professional Sciences.
In 1988, he came to Coastal Carolina as vice-chancellor for academic affairs. He became Coastal Carolina University's first president on July 1, 1993, after the institution gained its status as an independent, public university. He served as president until May 7, 2007.
His 14-year presidency was a period of remarkable institutional growth; enrollment doubled to more than 8,000 students, campus residence halls expanded to accommodate 2,200 students, and international programs were expanded.
In 2004-2005, he led the University's 50th Anniversary Initiatives, an ambitious capital campaign to raise $10 million to support the academic, physical and athletic needs of the University. In May 2005, the campaign surpassed its goal and raised more than $14 million in gifts and pledges.
Beginning in 1993, he guided the establishment of traditions – the University seal, mace, and alma mater. Chanticleer football, launched in 2003, generated increased loyalty of community members and alumni to the University. The University won the Big South Conference George F. "Buddy" Sasser Cup trophy for best overall athletic program for four-straight years. He was recognized as an Honorary Founder of the University in 2006. In April 2011, The Board of Trustees renamed Waccamaw residence hall Ronald R. Ingle Hall in his honor.
These accomplishments and accolades do not, however, tell the full story of who Ron Ingle was. At heart, he was a boy from Moncks Corner who was raised in a household that often struggled to make ends meet. His mother was a hardworking public health nurse who spent much of her time serving the poorest residents of Berkeley County. His father, an alcoholic who got sober in Alcoholics Anonymous when Ron was young, became the first State Director of the Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse. His father's dedication and hard work resulted in the funding of the first alcoholic treatment center in SC.
Though Ron went on to accomplish great things, he never forgot his roots in Berkeley County or the traditions of service to others modeled for him by his parents. He loved classic Hollywood films, especially Westerns, The Andy Griffith Show, beach music and old R&B, golf, Coastal Carolina athletics and Atlanta Braves baseball, his oldest friends from his childhood and from his years at Wofford, and family, including the Klibanoffs of Florence, Alabama, Judy's family of origin, who adopted him as one of their own when he and Judy married in 1965.
He was an honest, honorable, tolerant, and kind man and, above all else was firmly committed to his family, friends, and higher education especially when it came to Coastal Carolina University.
The Ingle family would like to thank the hardworking caregivers of Tidelands Community Hospice (in particular Laura Angell) and Homewatch CareGivers of Murrells Inlet.
A memorial service will be held at 2pm on February 18 at Holy Cross Faith Memorial Episcopal Church, 88 Baskervill Dr, Pawleys Island, SC.
In lieu of flowers, the family prefers that donations be made to The Ron and Judy Ingle Endowed Scholarship for Dependent Children or Grandchildren of Coastal Carolina University Faculty and Staff, Tidelands Community Hospice, or Miss Ruby's Kids.
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