Friends of the Ontonagon Area Scholarship Foundation

In Memory of: Eric N. Savela

Dr. Jon H. Rieger

Dr. Jon H Rieger (1936 – 2020) was a Distinguished Veteran with a rank of Navy Captain and University of Louisville Professor. His distinguished academic career spanned 60 years. Dr. Rieger taught courses on rural sociology, sociology of music, social change, and graduate-level research methods. He advised dozens of undergraduate and graduate students and authored many publications.

Dr. Rieger was a pioneer in the field of visual sociology. His work photographing social change in Ontonagon County, Michigan that began in 1960 is possibly the longest, continuous visual study in the world. He was a founding member of the International Visual Sociology Association and his trailblazing articles and methods seeded a new approach to sociology.

Dr. Rieger's nearly 60 years of field research and visits to Ontonagon made him a respected figure in the community. He received several community awards including the 2006 "Ambassador Award" given by the Ontonagon Chamber of Commerce in recognition of a non-resident who has contributed most to Ontonagon County. His regular visits and significant contributions to the Ontonagon County Historical Society, the Ontonagon Theater of Performing Arts, and the OASF made a big difference to our local community and region. He