“Rusty” (as he was known to fellow Princetonians), who also was known as “Russ” (by his family and friends in Portland, Ore., where he was a successful businessman), died Dec. 3, 2010, of complications from pneumonia.
Freshman year Rusty roomed with John Clarkson, Hugh MacMillan, and Bill May in Brown Hall. Rusty’s and Hugh’s parents were friends from college in Florida, and Rusty’s folks, who lived in Yardley, Pa., were like family to his roommates that long first year. Rusty appears in the 1961 Bric-a-Brac photo of our freshman winter track team.
Sophomore year Rusty took a track scholarship at Oregon State, where so many of his dreams would come true: a bachelor’s degree in 1965, an M.B.A. in 1966, member of a sprint medley-relay team that set a national record, and a personal best 9.6 in the 100-yard dash.
He began his career with IBM in Portland and retired there in 2003 as a vice president of Walgreens Health Initiatives Inc. His commitment to his church and community was profound. Having a special affection for Africa, he twice made mission trips to Zambia with World Vision.
Rusty is survived by his wife, Janna; daughters Jennifer and Chelsea; son Chris; and four grandchildren. Clearly, that difficult Princeton freshman year we shared helped build a good man of strength and grace.