On the homepage
Petters
Out There
NewsBreak
Home&Garden
Richard Rudeen, dedicated to lifetime of service
The longtime Golden Valley activist started the city's hockey association, established U program for older adults.
Print this story
E-mail this story
Save to del.icio.us
Share on Facebook
Share on Digg
Hockey was in Richard Rudeen's blood, and when he could no longer play the game he made sure others could.
Rudeen founded the Golden Valley Hockey Association in 1967 and he teamed up with three others to build rinks in city parks and take responsibility for flooding them. He was on the organization's board of directors for eight years and served as vice president. He also was a referee.
His deep involvement in youth hockey was among a long list of civic endeavors he took on during a lifetime of service that included serving on the board of the Golden Valley Little League and as president of the Golden Valley Rotary Club. He also coached youth football, started a tutoring program for struggling high school students and established an education program for adults at the University of Minnesota.
"He loved sports and enjoyed initiating, activating and running the programs," said his daughter Kristyn Heegaard Rudeen of Minneapolis.
Rudeen died of complications from Guillain-Barré syndrome Oct. 12 at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis. He was 75.
He was a standout hockey player at St. Louis Park High School, where he was freshman class president and was a National Honor Society student, his daughter said. He played hockey at Carleton College in Northfield, Minn., in the early 1950s until an injury forced him to the sidelines. Undeterred, he stayed with the game by coaching the junior varsity team at the school. He transferred to the University of Minnesota, where he earned a degree in mechanical engineering in 1957, Heegaard Rudeen said.
He joined his father at the N.H. Rudeen Co. in New Hope, where he invented the RidgeFlo attic ventilation system and had it patented. He designed and oversaw construction of a new company headquarters along with a manufacturing plant in Milaca, Minn. The company was sold in 1992.
As a member of the Golden Valley Rotary Club, he initiated the Strive Program, which provided mentors for students with low grade-point averages at Robbinsdale Armstrong High School. He served as president and was named the Golden Valley Rotarian of the Year in 2004 and twice was honored as the Paul Harris Fellow, Rotary International's highest award, named after the man who founded the world's first service club. The Golden Valley Rotary has established the Dick Rudeen Teacher Fund to provide scholarships for teachers who want to go back to school, Heegaard Rudeen said.
In 1995, Rudeen was a charter member and board member of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), a program for older adults that is affiliated with the University of Minnesota College of Continuing Education and run entirely by volunteers.
"He epitomized the spirit of OLLI, inquiry and active learning," said executive director Steve Benson. "He asked penetrating questions, was well read and was an active learner and searcher."
In his free time, Rudeen enjoyed family time, fishing and playing golf. He also enjoyed photography, jazz, philosophy, traveling and attending cultural events with his friends from Milda's Saturday morning breakfast club.
In addition to his daughter, Rudeen is survived by his wife of 50 years, Margaret, of Golden Valley; a son, Kent, of Minnetonka; two sisters, Karen Rudeen of White Bear Lake and Dianne Chapman of Minnetonka, and three grandchildren. Services have been held.
Recent Obituaries stories
|
|
Win tickets to see Brett Dennen at Pantages Theatre.Vita.mn presents Brett Dennen with Grace Potter and The Nocturnals at Pantages Theatre on Nov. 27. |
