Kenneth R. Cougill (1908-1966) received the state level Pugsley Medal in 1957 for his leadership in promotion and development of the state parks in Greene County, Ohio, but received his early education in Indiana. He was born in Indiana. He devoted his entire career to the development of Indiana's state park system. Cougill attended the schools of Anderson, Indiana and later transferred to the University of Cincinnati, and to Yale where he graduated in 1933 with a B.S. in Fine and Applied Arts from which he graduated in 1933 with a B.S. in Fine Landscape Architecture.Immediately after his graduation, he joined the National Park Service and soon after became a landscape supervisor with the Civilian Conservation Corps.
He went to work for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources soon after and prepared designs for the improvement of south state parks as well as Versailles, Turkey Run, and Lincoln. In 1939, he was appointed Superintendent of Indiana Dunes State Park where he obtained first-hand experience in his role as a superintendent. He retained this position until 1945. During a period of active service in the U.S. Army Reserves beginning in 1942, he was promoted to administrative assistant to the director of state parks.In 1946, he was appointed assistant director of the Division of State Parks and then in 1947, he was appointed director in which capacity he served through the administrations of four governors.
In January 1957, he was appointed assistant director of the Indiana Department of Conservation under a fifth governor and continued to serve also as director of state parks. With his full schedule at that time, Cougill found time to serve as an instructor in park practices at Indiana University from 1953-60. He retired in September 1960 because of illness after 31 years with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. Under his leadership, the Indiana state park system was strengthened and expanded.