Ron Southern, founder of Spruce Meadows, has died

Ron Southern, founder of ATCO and Spruce Meadows, passed away on Thursday.

Ron Southern, who founded Spruce Meadows and ATCO Ltd., has died.

Southern and his family opened Spruce Meadows in 1975. It has become an internationally-recognized venue for show jumping.

Alberta-based ATCO Group is a $19-billion enterprise with nearly 8,000 employees. It is involved in building modular structures and delivering natural gas and electricity.

Southern was chairman of the board until 2012 and continued on as a director.

He's received the Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1995, Companion of the Order of Canada and the Alberta Order of Excellence.

Southern was 85.

"Mr. Southern was a great Calgarian," said Murray Sigler, executive director and CEO of Sport Calgary, in a release.

"And he was a lifelong champion for for sport in our city. He will be sorely missed. On behalf of everyone involved in sport, we extend our deepest condolences to his family."

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