Dear Alison and Nathaniel

My deepest sympathies. I was a regular at the Saturday Night free show back in 1989-90. I owe many many happy memories thanks to Rusty's lyric soul. May God bless you and keep you.

Anne Fleming

We all used to laugh with rusty about what his patients would look like after he got done doing brain surgery on them with his shakey hands during the many cherished moments we shared during breakfast as students at Eaglebrook School; we'd be putting oatmeal in our ears, pouring oj on the kid sitting next to us,Pitching rasins across the table and otherwise generally laughing and creating good natured havoc amongst the sleepyheads before the days activities. (If my memory serves me correcltly, Rusty's lineage included a grandfather who was a famous neuro surgeon who pioneered cognative comprehension, plus another who signed the declaration of independence. Talk about old school!!!). Truth is, his greatest gift is the memories that he has deeply imbedded into the 280 and counting guests that have allready signed in, not to mention the thousands who saw him at his best in the many acts he accopmlished during his proffessional career. What a gift...I Look forward to meeting you all at the memorial service this spring, and trust that Nat and Allison are heartened not only by the love and support that surrounds you, but also by Rusty's indominatable spirit. XXOO jp

I'm very upset and so sorry that Rusty has been taken from us at such a young age. He had so much courage and the memory of how he dealt with his illness is inspiring. I will never forget Rusty's kindness, generosity, personal warmth, amazing talents and musical ability, devotion to his family and a host of other wonderful qualities that made Rusty a terrific human being.

Rusty first produced his musical "1919," based on the history of the 1919 World Series, twenty years ago at the Yale Cabaret. This work has terrific songs and inspired lyrics and deserves to be seen by a wide audience. I had asked Rusty in recent months about arranging for a new production of this show and he was excited about the idea. One of the original actors, Charles S. Dutton, was then a student at Yale Drama School and is now appearing on Broadway in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" and perhaps he and others who appeared in the original show would be interested in supporting a new production.

Alison did such an amazing job setting up the evening of "Sweet Appreciation" last year at the West Bank and so many wonderful things have come out of that. I'm so glad that the evening was recorded for all time, so that future generations will know at least a little bit about what an amazing person Rusty was.

I'll look forward to seeing all of you at the memorial celebration of Rusty's life.

Best wishes to all of you,

Rich Callan

I'm so sorry. I'm an Irish Rep subscriber and know that in addition to Rusty's family experiencing a profound loss, the arts scene has also suffered a great loss. I am sad at his passing. God bless you.

Dear Alison and Nat...
I just this minute heard Rusty the Loveable, Rusty the Great, a guy so full of life he got all of us reaquainted with it every time he took the stage, left us with a smile. You have all my love. What a lucky guy he was to have the two of you in his life, it's obviously what helped him have aaall that joy to spread around. The Grammy show is blaring in the next room as I write, and it strikes me how paltry it is in the face of his exquisite, beautiful, human gifts... bye, sweet Rusty. I'll be thinking of him and saying goodbye many, many times in the days and years to come... love to you all. XXXX

Please accept my heartfelt condolences on the loss of your husband, father, son and best friend, Rusty. When I think of Rusty, I think of his smile, laugh and how kindly interested he was in the best things about us all. We're poorer & heaven's richer and I'll keep an eye on his star. God bless.

I never knew Rusty personally but had seen him a few times at the Moonworks shows. While there was always a plethora of talent at these performances, Rusty, by far, was the standout. He always made you feel good because you could see just how much fun he was having on stage. He will surely be missed.

Dear Alison & Nat,
we only met Rusty once but we could tell from that meeting what a warm and caring person he was. Our prayers are with you.Since he was such a talented composer, I bet Rusty is writing music for the angels to sing to.We wish God's peace for you now and in the coming years. Love Art & Judy Levitan(Jonathan's parents)

I am one of the many people that Rusty entertained and never knew. In October 2001, I visited NYC to watch a friend run the Marathon. The night before the event we went to a show - "Moon...something". There were some entertaining performances, but none came close to the brilliance of Rusty. I was instantly in love with this man. I talked about him for weeks. And I brought home the flyer from the show so that I would remember his name. I had kept that flyer since then and about once a month I'd come across it while I pretended to clean off my desk. Each time I wondered why I didn't just throw it out finally, but I had a very strong compulsion to keep it. I threw it out last weekend. My vacation was beginning and it was time to start with a clean desk. Actually, I don't know if I threw it out or I placed it in a new safe spot, but I couldn't find it when I came across Rusty's obituary in the Boston Globe. It was the Globe that I was throwing away and just happened upon his name. I have searched for the flyer to make sure I'm not dreaming up a connection. But I can't find it. I searched the internet to find "Rusty Magee" + "Detroit Tigers". How wonderful that I went to NYC and "met" someone who I'll never forget, and who made me laugh so much I'm crying now.
My thoughts are with you, Rusty's family. Emily

I will always remember you.