Rusty, who served his country, his college, and his class generously, died March 1, 2023, one month shy of his 99th birthday.
Born in Montezuma, Ga., Rusty served in the Army Air Corps from 1942-45. As a command pilot in the European theater, he flew 47 combat missions and, noted one obituary, “never lost a plane or a crew member — a miraculous accomplishment.” He also served during the Korean War.
Rusty exhibited an entrepreneurial spirit from an early age, selling eggs and flowers grown by his mother from the back of his bicycle during the Great Depression. He earned his undergraduate degree in economics from Princeton in 1949 and, later, an MBA from the Wharton School.
An active alumnus, Rusty was a Princeton trustee (1981-85), a member of the class executive and steering committees, and a longtime Annual Giving volunteer and campaign chair. “I value good friends and good education, an experience renewed as a trustee,” he wrote in our 50th-reunion yearbook. “‘Princeton in the Nation’s Service’ is a good motto for all of us. I have tried hard to live up to that, both in business and in volunteer work.”
Rusty worked in the textile business, was a consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton, owned a refinery, and founded an asset management company (Timucuan Asset Management). He also served on many business, educational, and civic boards.
Rusty was married to Julie Harris for 50 years — from 1949 until her death in 1999. He later married Joannie Stein, who survives him, along with his and Julie’s children: Russell III, Matthew, William, Helen N. Hartung, and Julie St. John ’83; 11 grandchildren, including Helen M. Hartung ’06 and Madeleine St. John ’20; and five great-grandchildren. The Class of 1948 fondly remembers our classmate, whose life was dedicated to service.