J.A. Brownridge

John Ashley "Ash" Brownridge, also known as J.A. Brownridge and John A. Morris (1917-2015) was a former executive of the National Wildlife Federation, and the creator or , both the magazine and the character. He was also the creator of the National Wildlife magazine.
==Biography==
Born in Toronto in 1917, Brownridge’s family moved to Larchmont, NY in 1923. A towering man of 6’6”, he was too tall to be inducted in the Army during World War II, so he served as a civilian British Liaison Officer in Washington, DC and was awarded the Kings Medal for Freedom in 1945. After a short stint with the United Nations, Brownridge started working at the National Wildlife Federation in 1949 as a bookkeeper, advancing to business manager, and eventually administrative vice president.
In his conservation efforts, Brownridge visited all 50 states, went across Canada and traveled to Japan, Africa, and oil sites in Point Barrow, Alaska and the North Sea. Under his leadership, National Wildlife Federation grew to be the largest non-profit conservation organization in the world and an international leader in the wise use of our natural resources.
Brownridge created the character Ranger Rick, who first appeared in The Adventures of Rick Raccoon, published in 1958. He wrote a second book, Ranger Rick and the Great Forest Fire, to accompany a children’s board game. Brownridge created the beloved Ranger Rick magazine in 1966 and continued writing monthly stories in the publication for several years. He also started National Wildlife Magazine in 1962, which for more than 50 years has illustrated important wildlife conservation work across the nation.https://www.nwf.org/Latest-News/Press-Releases/2015/06-29-15-NWF-Mourns-Loss-of-Ranger-Rick-Creator-Ash-Brownridge
==References==
Category:1917
Category:People
Category:Deceased staff
Category:Staff members