An Iowan who’s been a prominent figure in the nation’s business, philanthropic and political communities has died. John Ruan, founder of Ruan Transportation, died Saturday at the age of 96.
Michael Gartner first met Ruan in the 1970s when Gartner was executive editor of The Des Moines Register. ”We became great friends. I had breakfast with him every two or three weeks for the next 20 years, just the two of us, and I found that he was an unbelievably interesting guy,” Gartner says.
