Dr. Richard A. “Dick” Rutyna was born on April 10, 1937 in San Diego, California. From 1954 to 1962, he served in the United States Marine Corps, during which time he received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history from the College of William & Mary. After graduating, he taught at Granby High School from 1961 to 1963 before coming to Old Dominion University (ODU). By 1966, Rutyna was an assistant professor at ODU, and was promoted to associate professor in 1978. Rutyna played an active role in the ODU history department by securing grants from university and the Virginia Virginia Foundation for the Humanities and Public Policy to establish courses and programs while also being responsible for designing 300-level history courses. Rutyna taught colonial and revolutionary history, served as director of several theses, and invited guest speakers to campus to give lectures, and held roles on many departmental and university councils and committees.

During his career, Rutyna co-edited “Virginia in the American Revolution: A Collection of Essays” (1977) and “Old Dominion University: Heritage and Horizons” (1987). He also authored multiple articles published by Metro Magazine, the Thomas Jefferson Institute for the Study of Religious Freedom, and the Essex Institute. He also delivered several speeches during the bicentennial of the Statute for Religious Freedom.

Rutyna’s interest in the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom and Freemasonry in Virginia, led him to write and deliver lectures on the topics. His research also included crimes against the enslaved in Colonial Virginia, as well as the separation of church and state, among other topics. He held several local political roles, including serving as second congressional district chairman of the democratic party from 1968 to 1975. From 1994 to 1995, Rutyna began working for Blake and Blake Genealogists, a probate research company that works to find heirs and beneficiaries to estates. He passed away on March 17, 2018.

Reference: Richard Rutyna Obituary