This is part one of a commemorative address by Ronning Centre Distinguished Visiting Fellow Brian L. Evans, Professor of History, Emeritus, University of Alberta.

On his return from China in 1927, Chester Ronning became active in the United Farmers of Alberta, and was elected and served with distinction in the Alberta Legislature. In the next provincial election, he and most of the UFA lost their seats, then joined the newly created Canadian Commonwealth Federation (CCF), becoming its first provincial leader. All of his later attempts at elected office ended in defeat.

Brian Evans graduated from the University of Alberta in 1954, after which he obtained a PhD in Chinese History from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. He
introduced teaching of the History of China and Japan, along with Classical Chinese language, at the University of Alberta in 1961. He first travelled to China in 1964 and later served as Cultural Counsellor  at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing, 1973-74. He met Chester Ronning for the first time in 1965, on Ronning's return from a mission to Hanoi. Subsequently, he conducted extensive interviews with Ronning in Camrose and served as a consultant on the film China Mission (1980). He has written and lectured in
Canada and China on aspects of Ronning's extraordinary career in anticipation of producing a biography.

Jan. 19, 2010, Augustana Campus, Camrose