Ruckman's grandfather was a general during the Civil War, and his father was a Colonel. Following in their footsteps, Pete joined the ROTC in 1941, and enrolled in the army in 1944 where he served in the Philippines and Japan.
It was in 1944 that he married his first wife, Janie May. The following year he and Janie had their first child. They had five children together.
Ruckman was released from military service in 1948. He became a disc jockey by day and a drummer by night. He started drinking heavily and became suicidal. He started to hear voices.
Ruckman had studied many religions: Zen Buddhism while serving in Japan, Roman Catholicism from a Jesuit priest in the US, he even read the Koran through multiple times. He stole his first copy of the Bible and began reading that.
Pete had a photographic memory and loved to read. He read Greek Philosophy, French Infidelity, religious books, and so much more. It seemed he always had a book on hand.
In 1949, Pete met Evangelist Hugh Pyle at the WEAR radio station in Pensacola, FL where he worked. "What do you know preacher?", Pete asked. Hugh Pyle showed Pete the gospel message and on March 14th Pete asked the Lord to save him.
That same year, Pete enrolled in Bob Jones University. He was ordained a Southern Baptist preacher in 1950. He studied under Bob Jones, Sr. and received his Master's Degree and PhD in religion in 1953. He then began a full-time evangelistic ministry, known as Dr. Ruckman.
HIs ministry expanded from there. By the 1980's he had a television ministry where he drew while he preached, was a pastor, had started and was teaching in a Bible Institute, had authored many books, video and audio tapes, commentaries, wrote and published a Bible bulletin, and more.
But, he also had many struggles along the way. His first two wives divorced him, his mother and father and sister all died within three months of each other, and he was attacked by many different "men of God" that disagreed with his personal life, his biblical stance, and his plain outspoken teaching and preaching.
He married his third wife, Pamela Huggins, in 1989. She was a tremendous blessing to him in the latter part of his ministry.
His staunch stance on the final authority of the King James Version Bible brought many enemies from saved and unsaved alike. Pete didn't seem to mind. He had a wonderful sense of humor, often referring to himself as "God's junkyard dog".
Dr. Ruckman's life and ministry were a blessing to so many. Innumerable souls were saved from his illustrated Chalk Talk sermons, street preaching and jail ministries, books, tracts, and commentaries. Hundreds of pastors , evangelists, and missionaries have graduated from Pensacola Bible Institute under his teaching. And many others have been encouraged in the faith by his encouraging words and the defense of the King James Bible. He was preaching and teaching well into his 90's.
Dr. Ruckman went home to be with his Lord and Savior on April 21, 2016 at his home surrounded by his family. HIs church, Bible Baptist, and the Pensacola Bible Institute continue to operate under the hands of Dr. Brian Donovan and others who stood by Dr. Ruckman during his ministry.
His books, commentaries, video and audio sermons, Reference Bible and his autobiography The Full Cup- A Chronicle of Grace can be purchased at the Bible Baptist Bookstore in Pensacola, FL.
