Dr. Alfred A. Ring died Sept. 5 in Gainesville, Fla.
He was born Jan. 25, 1905 in Germany, to the late Elisabeth and Salo Ring.
He immigrated to Mt. Vernon, N.Y. in 1925. In 1932, he married Elsie Bardusch, who died in 1973. In 1975, he married Emily White Mclachlan and she passed away in 1996.
He owned a home in Chamberlain, where he resided in the summer months.
Dr. Ring earned his BS, MBA, and PHD at New York University. In 1947, he obtained a teaching position with the University of Florida in Gainesville. In 1970, he was named Professor Emeritus. He served as chairman of the Department of Real Estate and Land Studies at the university. While at the university, he published three books: Real Estate, Principals and Practices, The Valuation of Real Estate, and Real Estate. The first book was at one time used as the primary textbook by over 130 colleges.
Following his retirement, he worked as a consultant for Wisconsin-Michigan Power Co. in Stone Mountain, Ga., Michigan-Wisconsin Pipeline in Detroit, the Federal Housing Association in Washington, D.C., and Savannah Electric and Power Co. in Georgia. He was a member of the American Institute of Real Estate Appraisers and the senior appraiser for the Society of Real Estate Appraisers.
He was often seen riding his bike to the university tennis courts and continued to play tennis until the age of 95!
Dr. Ring was dedicated to his community. He served as assistant assessor in Alachua County and was a former member of the county’s planning board. He served as a member of the Gainesville, Fla. Culture and Park Commission, a board member of the Alachua Conservation Trust, the North Florida Retirement Village, and Miles Memorial Heath Center in Damariscotta.
As a philanthropist, he donated land and funds for the Alfred A. Ring Park to the city of Gainesville, Fla., and with his donations helped fund construction, development, and improvements to the tennis complex at the university. He donated two memorial chapels to Miles Health Center in Damariscotta in memory of his two wives, Elsie and Emily. He established a memorial real estate library in Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Fla. He has also made substantial contributions to Holy Trinity Church in Gainesville, Fla.
He is survived by two daughters, Katharine Shepherd and husband Edward Shepherd of Waterford, Conn., and Georgia Rolfe and Dave Pollick of Gainesville, Fla.; six grandchildren, Lisa Drzewiecki of Connecticut, Sandy Gordon of New York, Susan Silva of Peru, Todd Shepherd of China, John Rolfe of New York, and Pamela Parizo of Connecticut; ten great-grandchildren; nephew, Herbert Ring of Williams, Ariz.; and niece Inga Mahler of Boston, Mass.
Memorial service will be held the summer of 2007 in the chapel at Miles Health Center in Damariscotta.
Donations in his name may be made to Hospice of North Central Florida, or the Carpenters Boat Shop in Bristol.
Arrangements are entrusted to Williams-Thomas Funeral Home, Gainesville, Fla.
