Record Gift

November 16, 2013 |

RAIL Solution announces record gift at annual meeting

  The late Professor Richard Rusk of Blacksburg, VA, a life-long champion of energy efficiency and other environmental causes, has named RAIL Solution in his will as a recipient of 25% of his estate.

  Rusk was an associate professor and assistant head of the Physics Department at Virginia Tech, where he worked from 1949 until his retirement in 1982.  He established the Richard Rusk Scholarships for Wind Energy at Dabney S. Lancaster Community College and wrote tirelessly on the subject of energy conservation for periodicals and in letters to policy makers.  Rusk, a long-time member and generous contributor to RAIL Solution, died on August 23, 2013 at the age of 97.

  RAIL Solution chairman Rees Shearer said,  “We are extremely fortunate to have known Richard Rusk and are humbled by his generosity.  This could be a game-changer for us and allow us to do some things we’ve long wanted to do but couldn’t afford.”  The group plans to work with the Physics Department at Virginia Tech to place a memorial plaque in honor of Professor Rusk.

 RAIL Solution, a non-profit rail advocacy group, held its annual meeting on Saturday, November 16, at the Roanoke Higher Education Center.

  At the RAIL Solution meeting members and the public had an opportunity to share their suggestions relating to rail service in the Roanoke Valley and New River Valley.

  Vice Chair Michael Testerman made a presentation on the Roanoke passenger station design project conducted by Virginia Tech architecture students.  Poster size renderings of the students’ work were on display at the meeting.