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Gary W. Rust — community champion, elected leader and founder of Rust Communications — dies at 89
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly….”
—Theodore Roosevelt, speaking in 1910 in Paris
Theodore Roosevelt’s “Man in the Arena” speech lauded those who take on challenges, shoulder responsibility, dare to excel.
Gary Wayne Rust of Cape Girardeau demonstrated that visionary character.
Heralded scholar.
Talented athlete.
Successful business founder and owner.
Elected leader.
Family patriarch.
He was born May 25, 1935. He died Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, of natural causes. He was 89.
A native of Cape Girardeau, Rust's ties to the city remained strong throughout his life.
Baptized and confirmed at Centenary United Methodist Church, Rust would serve the congregation in a number of roles, including singing in the choir and as a Sunday school teacher. Later, he would be a charter member of La Croix United Methodist Church.
Ron Watts, senior pastor at La Croix Church, said Rust's faith guided his life.
"He thought deeply about these things. He had certain values that came from his faith," he commented. "One of Gary's deep values was truth. That was what led him into the whole newspaper world -- a passion for the truth and communicating the truth."
Salutatorian of his class at Southeast Missouri State College High School, Rust would attend University of Missouri-Columbia on an athletic scholarship and later graduate summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in retailing from Washington University in St. Louis in 1957. There, he was a member of Omicron Delta Kappa and Beta Gamma Sigma, a national business honorary fraternity.
As a supporter of Southeast Missouri State University, he served on the school’s foundation board and various committees for university planning and executive hiring. He and his wife, Wendy, earned SEMO’s Friend of the University and Sports Friend awards.
As a strapping, gifted athlete, Rust lettered in baseball and basketball for four years in high school. As an American Legion baseball player (second base), he played on two state championship teams. He would go on to earn varsity letters in baseball and basketball at Mizzou and in tennis at Washington University. He also played baseball for the famed semi-pro Capahas in Cape Girardeau. In 2015, SEMO inducted the Rust family into its Athletic Hall of Fame.
Business career
Though he worked in the family furniture retailing business (Rust & Martin) early in his career, Rust cut his entrepreneurial teeth with the company he founded in 1967, Rust Communications.
Beginning with one weekly newspaper in Cape Girardeau County, he steered the company for decades, growing it to include several dozen newspaper properties across eight states and interests in nearly 20 radio stations. Its flagship is the Southeast Missourian, and Rust served as chairman until nearly the end of his life. Several of his inspirational and explanatory quotes adorn the Southeast Missourian building, located at 301 Broadway.
Newspaper associations across the country honored him for his pioneering work in the industry — 1999 Suburban Newspapers of America Dean Lesher Award, 2002 Inland Press Association Ralph D. Casey Award and 2003 induction to the Missouri Press Association Newspaper Hall of Fame. He served as chairman of the Missouri Associated Press Editors and Publishers and was a national board member of Certified Audit of Circulation, Suburban Newspapers Association and Inland Press Association and Foundation.
Peter Kinder of Cape Girardeau, former state senator and lieutenant governor, worked for Rust on the editorial side of the business. He praised Rust's thirst for knowledge and hard work.
"He wanted to lay facts before the public and make sure the public was informed so the public could make good decisions," he explained. "That was his passion in that portion of his career, and he made an enormous difference."
Kinder recalled Rust's efforts to grow the community.
"He wanted to help business in our area. He wanted to help businesswomen and businessmen, large and small, to grow their business by telling their stories in the pages of his newspapers," he said.
Kinder said Rust's hard work and ingenuity served him well in the news media industry.
"The extent to which he outlasted other competition is legendary, not only in Missouri but nationwide," he noted. "He wrote an incredible series of chapters in the newspaper industry."
His service with civic and business organizations — locally, regionally and statewide — spanned decades. From performing with Cape Girardeau Municipal Band and Cape Choraliers to serving as president of Cape Girardeau Jaycees (Distinguished Service Award and 1959 Young Man of the Year) and local parent/teachers association, Rust touched many lives in countless ways. A member of the Missouri Hall of Fame, he earned the 1960 State of Missouri Junior Chamber of Commerce Young Man of the Year Award, 2002 Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce Rush H. Limbaugh Award, Dr. David P. Crowe Award for Inspirational Service to Autism and Missouri State Missourian Award for Outstanding Contributions to Business, Civic or Arts. There are few boards or foundations or committees in and around Cape Girardeau he did not serve on at one time or another.
If the Rust name sounds familiar, one reason is that the name adorns a number of buildings in the area, earned through service and commitment (financial and otherwise) to various organizations. The president’s house on the Southeast Missouri State University campus is the Rust House, and an off-campus facility for communications students is the Rust Media Center. A performance hall on the university’s River Campus is the Wendy Kurka Rust Flexible Theatre. Teen Challenge named a gym for the family. Dempster Business Hall includes a Rust presentation room.
Jay Knudtson, former mayor and longtime friend, noted Rust's community involvement.
"While the Boards and committees he was involved in were immense, it was the groups that he was involved with 'behind the scenes' and out of the public eye that was even more impressive," he said. "Gary had a true love and passion for the guy or gal that was down on their luck and both Gary and Wendy worked tirelessly to give those folks a hand up. There was perhaps no better example of that than their total and complete support of the young men trying to turn their lives around at Teen Challenge. I have vivid memories of him telling stories of the lives that were changing as a result of this program and Gary and Wendy were 'all in' when it came to supporting Teen Challenge."
Watts agreed, noting Rust's generosity and work outside the limelight.
"He did not seek nor desire any type of acclaim for his good deeds. He was constantly giving in a 'behind the scenes' way," he said. "He was deeply generous toward our church and the university. Teen Challenge, as well. He was one of the great pillars of Cape Girardeau."
Politics
Politics intrigued Rust from an early age, and his work in the Republican Party was upstream early on, as Democrats held most public offices at the time. That would change as Rust and others toiled to shift the political balance of power rightward.
In 1962, Cape Girardeau County Republicans elected him chairman. He would serve as a delegate to Republican national conventions in 1964 and 1968.
He ran for Congress in 1970, and from 1972 to 1978, he was a member of the Missouri House of Representatives.
More awards would come for his dedication to the party — 2015 Southeast Missouri Pachyderm Meritorious Service Award, 2017 Pachyderm Tough TUSK Award and 2018 Cape County Republican Bill Emerson Public Service Award.
From 1998 to 2001, he was a member of Missouri/Kansas U.S. Commission on Civil Rights.
He left elected politics to focus on his company. Quoted by his son, Jon K. Rust, president of Rust Communications and publisher of the Southeast Missourian, Gary Rust treasured the news media business:
"Will I miss being a state representative? I'm sure I will. I've made some great friends who I hate to leave… But it's now time to put my efforts, knowledge and influence to work where I feel it will do the most good. And that is in the field of informing the public."
Knudtson recalled leaning on Rust during his time as mayor of Cape Girardeau.
"Picking and choosing your mentors and confidants, no matter your position can be some of the most important decisions that we make. For me to have been so fortunate to have had access to Gary Rust could be one of the most impactful things that has happened to me both personally and professionally. The fact that he took me under his wing was something that I will cherish for the rest of my life. The example he set for me as a businessman, community leader and perhaps most impressive of all -- husband -- are attributes that everyone should aspire to. Gary taught me the importance of relationships and how critical it was to establish and grow these relationships. As mayor, he impressed upon me the value of being intentional and fostering these relationships with local media as they served as a strong foundation during good and bad times."
Family
Rust married Wendy Kurka in 1955. They had eight children: baby boy died at 1 day old (premature, 1957), Robin Rust (died in car crash at age 1, 1959), Penny Rochelle Rust (Alan) Terry, Gary Wayne (Suzuyo) Rust II, Holly Rust (Richmond) Payne, Wynn Bradford (Kimberly) Rust, Jon Kurka (Victoria) Rust and Rex Dearmont (Sherry) Rust (died Jan. 6, 2022); 14 grandchildren: Julia Misaki Rust, Alex Benjamin Terry, Erik Rockford Rust, Katherine Marie Terry, Rachel Ann Rust, Sho Thomas Rust, Rebekah Kristina Rust, Reagan Jane Payne, Sarah Elizabeth Rust. Robyn Payne, Morgan Payne, Yuliana Kurka Rust, Ekaterina Ava Rust, Elizaveta Sophia Rust, Anya Ryzhkova; and eight great grandchildren.
"Above all, my father was in a life-long love affair with his wife, our mom Wendy," said Jon K. Rust. "He was an inspiring model of love, respect and devotion."
A social animal until his health prevented such, Gary Rust maintained a close circle of friends. Knudtson was in that group.
"For over 20 years I joined him for coffee every Thursday morning with a group we affectionately referred to as 'The Old Goats'. This group came together to deliberate and discuss topics of local, state and national interest. While there was little doubt that Gary was usually the most prepared, in that he had already read three or four newspapers by the time of our 6 a.m. coffee, it was like a Broadway play to watch him display his wit and knowledge upon all of us. It probably took me several years to learn when he was serious or when he was bluffing," he noted. "While I always viewed Gary Rust as being the 'smartest guy in the room' and depending on the room, there was a good chance that he was, it was his humor and wit that began to equally impress as our relationship continued to grow and develop."
Regarding Gary Rust's pursuit of knowledge, Watts said it never ended.
"I admire deeply the man's desire to learn. He was a voracious reader and constantly learning," he explained. "It was inspiring. I have not known many people who were more dedicated to learning."
Ever the adventurer, Gary Rust was a longtime private pilot. He earned the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award given by the Federal Aviation Administration for more than 50 consecutive years of flying without an incident.
"It would be impossible to overstate what Gary Rust means and has meant to Cape Girardeau and Southeast Missouri and, in fact, the whole state of Missouri," Kinder said. "He was a leader in his field -- whatever that field was. ... In ways too many to count, he made Cape Girardeau better, stronger. He always had the betterment of his community in mind."