Ronald Cleveland Mullin is a Waterloo Distinguished Professor Emeritus and the first person to receive a degree from the Waterloo; an MA in mathematics in 1960. Mullin completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Western Ontario, and after taking his doctorate in 1964 he joined the Faculty of Mathematics. During his tenure at Waterloo, Mullin acted as chair of Combinatorics and Optimization, and contributed to the establishment of the Centre for Applied Cryptographic Research. He was named a Distinguished Professor Emeritus upon his retirement in 1996. The following year, Mullin was the first recipient awarded the Stanton Medal by the Institute for Combinatorics and its Applications.