David Ruckman (NAHS ’68)
Try describing someone with David’s many talents: surveyor, sculptor, writer and a serious student of history… local, regional and global. You could easily look right over his work in real estate development.
Now and again, David looks back at a lifetime of surveying and he feels good about what he sees. At its core, surveying is one of the “technical trades”. But look closer: there’s a similarity to the fine arts, telling a story in a pictorial language, done in pen and ink. He likes that part; in 54 years, he’s drawn over 6000 maps. David also finds an element of the performing arts in his work. In the woods or crossing a field, he’s on his “stage”. The outdoors itself is his audience as he re-creates the roles of surveying’s forefathers, marking lines on the land. Like the careers of other alumni profiled here, his portfolio of work is highly regarded among his peers. He is active in the local (eight-county) chapter of the Indiana Society of Professional Land Surveyors and a contributor to their quarterly publication Hoosier Surveyor.
Sculpture created by David Ruckman
(Town Clock Church, New Albany)
He’s the author of two books. Each explores the yesteryears of surveying, blending history with imagination. His first, titled, Men of the Compass tells tales of the ancient world. The second, Men of the Compass: 1805 and the Legend of the Indian Hills Silver recounts the pioneer days of Indiana. Both books are on Amazon. In recent years, he’s taken on sculpture at a very serious level, with projects that are larger than life: Lucy Higgs Nichols, at the Town Clock Church and the Buffalo Art Park on Summit Springs, (near the intersection of Daisy Lane and State Street). He’s inspired to be a storyteller in stone, and he ponders just how long his works might last. An ancient Greek aphorism comes to mind: “Life is short, art is long”. The words are well-suited to someone who thinks about the human experience, across decades and centuries.
Buffalo sculptures at Buffalo Art Park
Created by David Ruckman
(Summit Springs, New Albany)
I asked David to reflect on creativity and the legacy that any of us in the alumni community can leave for the future. He answered: “Finding the inspiration to do anything creatively may seem unpredictable. Sometimes, I’ve gone looking for inspiration, often it has found me… and it comes out in my work, in my writing and in my art. I’m optimistic that the alumni of my era will continue to inspire those who come after us. I hope that I’m one of many who inspire others.”
Read the entire March 2023 Legacy Ledger (Issue 31).