2010.10.27: Obituary for Malawi RPCV Art Rutkin
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2010.10.27: Obituary for Malawi RPCV Art Rutkin
Obituary for Malawi RPCV Art Rutkin
Born in New York City in 1941, Rutkin grew up in the Bronx and had plans to become a lawyer but worked in the Peace Corps as a teacher in Malawi, Africa, in the 1960s. After that, Rutkin was hooked on teaching. "When I got home, I went to graduate school and got my master of arts in teaching and I've never looked back," he told The Times in January. Rutkin attended Antioch College, where he received his master's in early childhood education. He worked as a high school history teacher during the civil rights movement and was one of two white teachers at Dunbar High School in Baltimore, Md. "He really felt the injustice of that time," said his wife, Lois Rut-kin. "He knew in his gut that (segregation) was wrong. He always celebrated Martin Luther King Day in schools with a real passion. He made sure that everyone had respect for each other."
Obituary for Malawi RPCV Art Rutkin
Tigard-Tualatin icon Art Rutkin dies
Former principal and school board member was devoted to youth
By Geoff Pursinger
The Regal Courier, Oct 27, 2010, Updated Oct 27, 2010
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A celebration of life service for former Tigard-Tualatin School Board member Art Rutkin was held Oct. 24.
Rutkin died Oct. 17 at the age of 69 from mantle cell lymphoma - a rare cancer of the lymph nodes in the immune system - which he had been fighting for about five years.
A prominent member of the school board from 2003 until his resignation in December, Rutkin previously worked as a principal at four elementary and one middle school in the Tigard-Tualatin School District.
Born in New York City in 1941, Rutkin grew up in the Bronx and had plans to become a lawyer but worked in the Peace Corps as a teacher in Malawi, Africa, in the 1960s. After that, Rutkin was hooked on teaching.
"When I got home, I went to graduate school and got my master of arts in teaching and I've never looked back," he told The Times in January.
Rutkin attended Antioch College, where he received his master's in early childhood education.
He worked as a high school history teacher during the civil rights movement and was one of two white teachers at Dunbar High School in Baltimore, Md.
"He really felt the injustice of that time," said his wife, Lois Rut-kin. "He knew in his gut that (segregation) was wrong. He always celebrated Martin Luther King Day in schools with a real passion. He made sure that everyone had respect for each other."
Rutkin served as a principal at schools in Baltimore, Jackson, Mich. ,and Lima, Peru, before moving to Oregon in 1984.
He joined the district as principal at Edward Byrom Elementary School, where he was awarded the exceptional schools award and was invited to the White House, where he met President Ronald Reagan.
Rutkin was drawn to the family nature of elementary schools, his wife Lois said.
"He never woke up and said, 'Oh, I'm tired of working,'" she said. "It was a family, and you can never be tired of your family."
As principal, Rutkin stood outside welcoming children to school every morning and waved them goodbye every night.
"It didn't matter if there was a meeting or what was going on," said his daugher Sarah Rough. "Everything shut down so that he could welcome the buses.
"He always felt that if you didn't get an educational foundation, you weren't going to do well. He knew how important that was. Kids were his passion."
In 2001, Rutkin retired as princi-pal at Mary Woodward Elementary School and ran unopposed for the Tigard-Tualatin School Board in 2003.
"We were all ready for this big campaign," Lois said. "We were ready to go out and do whatever, and then it wasn't even a race."
Rough agreed. "They practically wrote him in," she said. "Everybody thought, 'Oh, Art's running? Never mind.'"
Rough, who teaches fourth grade at Metzger Elementary School, said that her father left a profound mark on the school, both as a principal and as a school board member.
On the school board, Rutkin served as the only former educator and advocated tirelessly for resources for students. In 2008, Rutkin collected 22,000 books to schoolchildren in Malawi, who could not afford new textbooks.
He also found time for volunteering with Chess for Success in Portland and led after-school chess programs. He was an advocate for Court Appointed Special Advocates, watching over and advocating for abused and neglected children, as well as oper-ating a Meals-On-Wheels route for Loaves & Fishes.
In December 2009, Rutkin left the school board to undergo chemo-therapy. "He waited until the last possible moment," Rough said. "He left when he absolutely had to."
His seat on the board was filled by Manuel Trujillo in February, who will complete Rutkin's term, which expires in 2011.
"People come up to me all the time and say, 'Oh my God, you're Art Rutkin's daughter, that man changed my life.' I hear that over and over," Rough said.
He is survived by two brothers, Richard and Gary Rutkin, his wife Lois, three daughters Debbi Rutkin, Rachael Ager and Sarah Rough, as well as six grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Art's name to The Foundation for Tigard Tualatin Schools at founda-tion4smartkids.org/donate.php.
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Headlines: October, 2010; Peace Corps Malawi; Directory of Malawi RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Malawi RPCVs; Obituaries; Education
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Story Source: The Regal Courier
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Malawi; Obituaries; Education
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