St. Augustine, FL, Florida - After a short illness, Ron Tallman, age 84, of St. Augustine, FL, died on March 3, 2025.

He left behind the love of his life and wife of 26 years, Noël Weimer Tallman; his brother, Richard Tallman (Laurna); his two daughters, Kelly Tallman Clements (Andrew) and Jennifer D'Arcy Patrick (Thomas); five grandchildren, Daniel Bass (Paige), D'Arcy Bedenbaugh (Emory), Lydia Bass, Ian Clements, and Moth Clements; along with many nieces and nephews.

Ron was a loving spouse, brother, father, and grandfather, and he had a close circle of friends with whom he shared his clever sense of humor and distinctive laugh, his vast intellect and curiosity about the world, and his endless generosity. Raised in Des Moines, Iowa, he earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in government from Wesleyan University in 1964, and joined the Bangor Daily News while he worked towards his Master of Arts degree in 1969 and PhD in history in 1971, both from the University of Maine at Orono. He did this while raising a young family with his wife at the time, Julie Tallman, which included camping in Canada and Maine, and playing endless rounds of golf. Ron had golfed since he was a little kid and held a 4 handicap for much of his life until developing cervical dystonia at age 58.

His interest in public service and educating the next generation of history enthusiasts led Ron to more than 35 years of teaching at the State University of New York, Plattsburgh and Potsdam, McGill University, Montreal, University of Maine, Orono, Augusta College, Augusta, and Roosevelt University, Chicago, where he retired in 2007 as the Seymour Logan Professor of North American History. He created and then directed the Canadian-American Center at the University of Maine, which was the largest program of Canadian Studies in the United States. Throughout his many years as professor, and later as a university provost and dean, Ron wrote many short scholarly articles and demanded intellectual rigor from his students (and daughters!) urging them to learn about the world from history and travel. Ron's love of travel began when he took a year off from college when he was 21 to traipse through Europe with a buddy on 50¢ a day, and it continued with him through his entire lifetime. He and Noël crisscrossed the globe, enjoying culture, art, food and wine (and whatever the locals drank!) wherever their adventures took them, many times by sea.

At the family's request, no service is planned. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Ron's name to the Mayo Clinic: give.mayoclinic.org.