Alison,
I was so sad to hear about Rusty. All my love goes out to you and Nat along with the hope that you will find peace in knowing that Rusty will always make people smile with his music and his songs.
Love,
Paige

i met rusty doing "what you will" for moonworks. rusty could make me laugh. remembering him messing around in the dressing room, his on stage antics, his comedy performances, he will continue to make me laugh and smile. love and strength to his family. i am sure rusty can hear us laughing.

Dear Alison and Nate:

My profoundest sympathies to you both on Rusty's death.

It was my giddy pleasure to have known Rusty at Brown, when the theater department - and any available piano - was barely able to contain his immeasurable talent. We all knew we were hearing just the beginnings of a voice and talent that couldn't help but make a mark on the wider world.

I still have the little lapel pin with the fedora on it from evenings at the West Bank Cafe - for me it will always have Rusty's crooked grin creased into it.

Thank you for sharing him with us all.

Dear Alison and Nat,

All my deepest condolences. I was a fellow student of Rusty's in Professor Ron Nelson's small course in Composition at Brown. (Incidentally, Elliott Kerman, a founding member of Rockapella, was also in the class.) I remember one day he came in and played/sang his latest creation: a setting of the poem "Oh I have slipped the surly bonds of earth...(etc.)." Everyone's jaws dropped, speechless (including the professor), at its beauty. Did he save this song? Ever re-perform it, or record it? I will search the websites to see. Meanwhile it occurs to me that that song (among many, many others, apparently) would be fitting for Rusty's passing. Thank you for the opportunity to remember his great music and his kindness to fellow students in the class. Am enjoying reading about his family and subsequent career on this great website. All my sympathies and admiration.

Rusty, My Dear Beloved Friend, May your spirit ascend to the heavens with the Angels, Saints, Prophet's and Martyr's. With Love, Sincerity and Respect to Alison, Nathaniel, Bettie, Kenny and Jimmy. Ray

Dearest Alison and Nat--When newspaper headlines read, "Astronomers find new bright star in galaxy" you'll know it's Rusty beaming down all his love to you. May the mantle of love from Rusty's hundreds of friends and admirers soothe your broken hearts. Betty Quenon Wurtz

We had the good fortune to meet Rusty only once here at the Boston Pops. He came to discuss working together on a new project. Our immediate thought? How on earth did we not know about this abundantly gifted individual sooner.

Our visit was fruitful, fun and the beginning of a great collaboration, suddenly put on hold by Rusty's illness.

Our most hearfelt sympathies to his family and friends.

Tony Beadle
Manager, Boston Pops

Alison and Nat and all of Rusty's family:

Thanks for sharing Rusty with the rest of us who loved his energy, his talent, and his friendship. His memory will live on forever in this website, recordings of his work, and in all of us who will tell the world what a great guy he was.

Are you allowed to sign in twice? Robert Maya's message was sent from my computer. He works in our building (Rusty's buiding, and mine), keeping us safe, and caring about us all. I loved his message, that is why I'm writing again--to comment. "I will always remember him," he wrote.
What greater gift is there--than to be remembered? And we all will--we all will.

I am so sad that you are gone, Rusty. Alison, we never met, but I wanted to tell you how much Rusty meant to me. I was a directing intern at the Yale Summer Cabaret in the summer of 1981, and working with Rusty that summer was a wonderful, warm, fun time. Even though I'm not much of a singer, Rusty let me be part of his 1919: A Baseball Opera, and even let me sing his beautiful ballad, Say It Isn't So. I played a newsboy who sings to Shoeless Joe Jackson upon learning that Joe helped his team throw the World Series. Rusty helped me into and through that show, and I had a great time doing it, and working with him all summer. The show is beautiful, and I hope that there is a way to bring it to the NY stage.

I will always remember Rusty's warmth and joy, and I just want to say to him, Say it isn't so, Rusty!