Mrs. Rutford Announces Geosciences Graduate Student Scholarship

Ever the hostess, Mrs. Margie Rutford can list hospitality as one of her gifts. As wife of the late former University President Robert Rutford, it was her job to host and entertain guests.

“In those days, the University, or UT System, provided presidents with a residence. The UT Dallas president’s house was off Hillcrest in North Dallas. It was a beautiful home, featuring one of the largest backyard swimming pools I’d ever seen,” Mrs. Rutford said.

That was 1982. 

Today, she’s establishing a geosciences scholarship for graduate students in the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, where, in addition to his impactful leadership, Dr. Rutford taught freshmen geosciences for 10 years after retiring from the presidency.

“We talked about this a bit before he passed away. He just wanted to find a way to help students,” Mrs. Rutford said.

For him, paying for college was a challenge, she said.

“While he lettered in football and track at the University of Minnesota, he wasn’t awarded a scholarship, so he had to work. During the summers he did everything – he did janitorial work; he helped contractors build houses; and he drove a semi along the shores of Lake Superior up in northern Minnesota,” Mrs. Rutford said.

“In the summer, he also did a lot of field work in geology. I worked my way through school as well. I had a job in the library at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota. 

“Really, we wanted to help students who otherwise might not be able to continue on with their science education,” she said.

Rutford served as the University’s second president from 1982 to 1994 and was named president emeritus by the UT System Board of Regents in 2007. He also was a noted explorer of Antarctica, embarking on more than a dozen treks. 

During his tenure, UT Dallas experienced a significant growth spurt, adding freshman and sophomore students in 1990 as well as the first on-campus student housing. Rutford also provided direction and support for the founding of the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science.

“We met UT Dallas founders Cecil Green and Erik Jonsson. Eugene McDermott had passed before we had a chance to meet, but Margaret McDermott was very involved. They all were quite involved with UTD,” Mrs. Rutford said.

The president’s office staff would help Mrs. Rutford prepare and host social events at their home.

“Judi Hensley Hamby was a tremendous help in orchestrating events. And Judy Snellings was Bob’s right hand. Together the three of us would plan and host a half dozen events a year in our home,” Mrs. Rutford said. “The regents meeting was a big one. Fortunately, that one would rotate among all the UT System schools.”

She said they would entertain in the back yard with catered barbecue, hosting the founders, student ambassadors and other student organizations, alumni, faculty and donors.

Those events were a stark contrast to Rutford’s expeditions to Antarctica, a continent completely unhospitable to many.

“My husband literally would step into uncharted territory during his exploration of Antarctica.”

– Mrs. Margie Rutford

She said she has visited Antarctica twice, and their three children and a few grandchildren have been at least once.

“Both times, I was a passenger on a cruise ship where my husband lectured about Antarctica along the way. I’d sit in the front row to listen and learn. And when it came time to disembark, I’d opt to stay onboard until they returned,” she said with a laugh.