Deceased 06/24/2005
James Fred Rust passed peacefully on Friday, June 24, 2005, of colon cancer. He was 54 years old. He is survived by Joanne Moyer Rust, wife, St. Paul, MN; Richard H. and Laura E. Rust, parents, Falcon Heights, St. Paul, MN; Deanna M. Rust, sister, Lincoln, NE; Richard J. Rust, brother, Falcon Heights, St. Paul, MN; Mark A. Rust, brother, sister-in-law Joyce Rust, niece Nicole Rust of Hutchinson, MN, and nephew Nathan Rust, Minneapolis, MN; Robert Rust, brother, Willernie, MN; and many aunts, uncles and cousins in and around Bunker Hill, Illinois. He has also left behind so many friends and loved ones whose lives were bettered by knowing him, including Holly and Nathalie Raab, and Cathy Garahan.
Jim Graduated from Alexander Ramsey High School in 1969, became involved with theatre at Carleton College, spending the next decade as an actor and director, and founded the ‘Open Door Summer Shakespeare Company’ in Boston. But he had developed a special love of Greece ever since his fifth-grade teacher loaned him Edith Hamilton’s ‘Greek Mythology,’ and planned to eventually become an archaeologist. In 1985, Jim received his BA in Anthropology at the University of Minnesota, followed by his Masters in Classical Archaeology at the State University of New York, Albany. He did additional graduate work at Boston University, was a Keck Fellow, and received a research fellowship at the University of Western Australia, Perth. During his graduate studies he contributed to archaeological research in Jordan, Egypt and Greece. Upon returning to the States, he wanted to share with others his passion for the Minoan Civilization of Bronze Age Greece, and began ‘Beyond Travel,’ taking a small group of people to Crete. Later this idea developed into ‘Earth Odyssey for Youth,’ a non-profit organization he created in the year 2000 dedicated to taking at-risk teens to see the wonders of the world, but the realities of making a living instead led him to begin a cultural resources management firm, ‘4G Consulting,’ and his focus turned to North American archaeology.
Wherever and whatever Jim did, every moment of his too short life was always flavored by his deep love for his family, his wife and his home, his humor and enjoyment of the arts, and most especially for all things baseball.
Comments
Jim and I played basketball together at the St. Paul gym in high school. He attended Ramsey high, and I was elsewhere for high school. We were both surprised to see one another sitting across from one another in the Burton dining hall the first morning of freshman year. We went along and talked a few times but I don't think Carleton suited him very well and he left Thanksgiving of that year. I think he became a successful actor. Jim was kind of the All-American boy: talented, bright, humble. He was a big part of the Ramsey basketball team that made it to the State Tournment.
Jim and I were neighbors on First Goodhue during his brief time at Carleton. His combination of superb athleticism and dedication to acting were a first for me. Add to that his low-key, humble persona, and he was an interesting and enjoyable person to be around. I was sad when he left Carleton, as I really liked him, but somehow not surprised either. It simply wasn't the right fit.