Rusty was my favorite professor at NIU in 1975 and 1976.  He made assembly language and technical programming fun. I recall him introducing the TRT instruction as "the grooviest instruction", and inviting the class to hear him play at the coffee house where he joked we might hear "Ballad of the TCB".  I left NIU incredibly well prepared, largely because I studied math 460, 464, and 468 under his guidance. 

I worked with Rusty on several research projects over the years, starting when I was very new to the field.  Rusty's support and good humor really stood out, and everyone around him benefitted from his plain talking style and his openness.  He truly made an impact on science and the world, and I feel fortunate to have been able to work with him.

Rusty was not only brilliant, but he always helped others in the scientific fields. He shared slides easily, mentored and taught so many. His professional friends will miss him greatly. It was an honor to have known him.

Rusty was a great encouragement to me in the mid-2000s when I was working on a SciDAC proposal and he was the mathematician lead. Always a person of excellence and integrity, he demonstrated a great breadth of both human and science understanding during that time. 

I came to know Rusty when I joined Argonne/MCS as a student intern. He was division director at the time. His good nature and charm made MCS a welcoming place. Eventually I found myself working on MPICH, the enormously successful software project he founded. At times I felt very in over my head, doubting if I could hack it. In those years, Rusty would occasionally drop by my office for help with his laptop or some program he was writing. Through those encounters I would feel encouraged to continue on. I don't know where my career would be without him. I am forever in his debt. May he rest in peace.

I heard the sad news that Rusty had passed away.  My sincere condolences to you, Brigid, and your family. Rusty was a highly regarded colleague at Argonne.  I certainly won’t forget the New Year’s Eve parties at your house, where the highlight of the evening was the pouring of champagne from the top down along the triangular array of glasses.  Sorry I don't have a picture.

Stay well and cherish the memories.  Best regards,
Hans

Rusty and Brigid, a loving couple for the ages. We send our condolences to Brigid and the family.
Tom & Michi Morgan

Brigid, 

       Bill Blair and Cathy called us last week to let us know that Rusty was gone.  I am so sorry to hear this.  I know this is the end of a very long and tragic road for both of you.  Rusty and I go way back to grad school days at Maryland.  We shared an office in Adams Hall, right across from Harvey and John Lindsey, and next door to Jim Kettner and Fred Cohen.  Bill Blair and Peter came later.  We were a band of brothers.  Then we all drifted apart.  Rusty was  very bright and likable guy, a true friend.  I think he did his best work at Argonne rather than at Northern.   Although we were both from Missouri (K.C. area) I never met anyone else in his family (except you), not even Andrew and Richard.  I think they can be very proud of their dad and I hope they have good memories of him.

Warm regards, 

John Connett

So sorry to hear of Rusty’s passing. He was always lovely to talk to at the AAHN meetings and had a very thoughtful approach to issues of concern when he was on the executive board. It was a privilege to have known him. My thoughts are with you and your family during this time Bridget.

I am saddened by your loss, Brigid.   Rusty was a great support to the American Association of the  History of Nursing.  Whether in the board room, at the auction, or at the bar, he brought a sense of humor and reason.  He will be missed.  

Rusty was one of a few devoted AAHN spouses and I am saddened to hear of his passing.  Brigid, take solace from these many messages of love.
Jan

I remember so clearly how devoted you and Rusty have been - as long as I have known you. That devotion is so rare! Sincere sympathy to you, Brigid, and your family as you navigate this loss. May the memory of that love sustain you.
Mary Gibson

Rusty was always so friendly at the AAHN meetings and I remember him saying on the Germany trip in 2015 at the Remagen Bridge that his father had been in the taking of it in WWII.  I am sorry to hear of his passing.  My prayers are with you, Brigid, and your family.

It was always  a pleasure to sit for a while and visit with Bridget and Rusty at AAHN Conferences around the country. They were familiar faces from Illinois and always so full of joy and good conversation. I am honored to have known Bridget through our common professional nursing lives and send my condolences to her and their family. 
Maryanne Locklin

Brigid
I am so sorry to hear about the loss of Rusty. He was smart and kind. You are in my prayers for comfort and peace.
Love,
Elaine Marshall

I first met Rusty at an American Association for the History of Nursing board meeting.  He was involved in helping us get our finances in order if memory serves.  I always looked forward to seeing him and Brigid at the annual conferences.  He was welcoming, kind and made you feel at home.  He will be missed by so many members of the association!  My condolences to Brigid and his many friends and family.  We are richer for having known him. 

I’m so sad to hear of this. Rusty was such a kind and thoughtful person. My condolences to his family.

I don't recall when I first encountered Rusty professionally or met him personally, though the latter was most likely at an HPCS software productivity meeting or "bake-off" in the early 2000's.  Despite being a central part of the MPI effort and an obvious proponent of its approach, Rusty was also always very interested in discussing alternative programming models, like my team's Chapel language, and hearing what we were doing with it.  For me, this was an example of his open-minded and curious nature, which I respected a lot and aspire to replicate.  I fondly recall several meals with him over the years—in Seattle, Annapolis, and of course the Chicago area—where he invited me several times to speak at Argonne or its summer training programs.  In addition to catching up on technical news, we enjoyed exchanging notes on great TV series, a mutual favorite being 'The Wire'.  I still remember being stunned when he told me he was retiring because he seemed so active and vital and like such a presence in the community that it was difficult for me to imagine HPC without him.  Happily, his retirement didn't mark the end of his work in HPC, or passion for the topic.  I'm glad to have kept in some small amount of touch since his retirement, though I had been quietly hoping for the chance for a post-pandemic coffee with him on one of his family visits to Seattle.  For me, Rusty was one of those people who made me truly enjoy working in this field and career.  I had already been missing him in recent years, and will do so even more now.  Warmest wishes and condolences to Brigid, Molly, his sons and their families.

I was so sad to hear about this and wish I'd had one last chance to talk with Rusty before his passing as it had been too long. I first worked with Rusty back in 1992 when I was a summer student in MCS. I have a great memory of Rusty going rock climbing somewhere in Wisconsin on a weekend camping trip with a bunch of us that summer - he was "one of the kids" and just fun to be around and converse with. But as others have said, it was his wisdom,  his practical approach to computer science, and his unwavering ability to not be swayed by research hype that stuck with me. He leaves a wonderful legacy to our field.

I joined Argonne as a postdoc in 1995 to work for Rusty. He has had a huge influence on me. I will miss his sage advice, kindness, cheerfulness, and humor. Rest in peace, Rusty.

Rusty
Was a  Very Cool Guy ,  Both him and  Brigid started out as customers but soon became very Good Friends
This should not happen to good People and these people are Very Good People
I have been Remodeling their Home for at least 20 years  and  I can not believe he is Gone.
My Heart goes out tho the Family and Brigid.
My Wife and I will miss him Very Much.
Very Very Sorry for your Loss.

Love
Michael & Lesley Powers

In his retirement, Rusty became active in the nursing history association, a long time interest of Brigid's.  He and Brigid were quite a team. I knew him because I was a colleague/friend of Brigid.  I always looked forward to a chat over a glass of wine at the many conferences we attended. Soft spoken, curious, creative and a good sense of humor,  that's how I remember Rusty. We missed him and Brigid the last couple of years.



I have found memories of Rusty from our early days at the MPI Forum where I remember him kept us updated on the POSIX standard and helped us try to make MPI thread safe.  Also enoyed meeting him at several meetings throught the years. You will be missed! Condolences to the family.

Everyone knows Rusty to be kind and generous.  He was certainly that, but he was so much more too.  He loved what he did and he was always curious to learn more.  I had met him a few times in passing in the early 2000s, but my fondest memory of him was from back in 2005 when I was interviewing at Argonne.  I don’t remember much of that day, except that hour and half that I spent with him.  He walked into the room.  He saw that I was nervous, so he spent the first 15 minutes of the interview just talking about his experiences at Argonne and other places, and how he had messed up his interview at Argonne but still got the job.  He had a way of making people feel comfortable.  We talked for the next hour or so about so many things — about what each of us wanted to accomplish, how we think about difficult problems, how it is OK to not be successful in a project, and so on.  He taught me one lesson that day that I hold close to my heart — something he used to call the “office door test”.  I’ll paraphrase, but I hope I can get the gist of it here.  We have many types of work colleagues and collaborators.  When you are working heads down in your office, if a colleague walks by and knocks on your office door, there are some people whose presence you find a distraction from your work.  And then there are some people who light up your eyes — you want them to walk into your office and talk to you; tell you about their stories and distract you from the problem you are trying to solve.  These are the people who pass the “office door test”.  Hire these people above everyone else, because these are the people you want to work with.  These are the people with whom you’ll accomplish great things.  Looking back after so many years — Rusty, you’ll always pass the office door test with us.  We will miss you.

Rusty was an exceptional mentor and colleague.
--
From a 2018 interview: Gail Pieper: And lastly, if you had one piece of advice to early career researchers, what would it be?
Rusty: Be open to possibilities of change. If you find something more interesting than what you’re working on right now, go work on that! You’re not stuck right now; and even 30 years from now, you still won’t be stuck. Take advantage of the fact that you’re welcome at any seminar at any division. Go and see what else is going on at Argonne.

Knowing Rusty was a pleasure, I fondly remember division meetings and his humor, he was very passionate, kind and humble. I had to once write the summary of "Rules of the Road" and send it to him for an inside ANL  traffic🚦 violation, we both laughed about it, no words spoken:) 

Prayers 🙏 May God bless his soul.

I have more memories of Rusty than I can post here. My fondest was 2 weeks after I started my job at Argonne, Rusty took me under his wing and encouraged me to express my professional viewpoints and keep moving forward.  He always listened to my suggestions and increased my visibility to others at the lab.  He also trusted me to solve HR issues within our division and allowed me to carry them through. He will be greatly missed.

OBITUARY

Ewing Lafetra Lusk III

September 28, 1943 – May 16, 2022

Show your support

Add a Memory

Share Obituary

Get Updates

Services