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  • June 19, 2025, 05:59:22 AM

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Author Topic: Dirty Dan Rutherford has left us...  (Read 2795 times)

Offline Steve Helmick

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Dirty Dan Rutherford has left us...
« on: June 01, 2024, 08:15:39 PM »
Just happened to see Dan Rutherford's page on FB and learned that he passed away on Feb. 14. I'm not sure why it's taken this long to find out.

Dan was one of a kind. If he met you once, he'd refer to you as his friend. How odd is that?  :'(   Steve
"The United States has become a place where professional athletes and entertainers are mistaken for people of importance." - Robert Heinlein

In 1944 18-20 year old's stormed beaches, and parachuted behind enemy lines to almost certain death.  In 2015 18-20 year old's need safe zones so people don't hurt their feelings.

Offline Dan McEntee

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Re: Dirty Dan Rutherford has left us...
« Reply #1 on: June 01, 2024, 09:18:28 PM »
    Sorry to hear of another prominent modeler "gone west" as they say in the novels. I never met Dan in person, but mailed/messaged with him a time or two concerning items I bought from him. He helped bring in some CO-2 powered foam free flight models into the country years ago, and I bought a bunch of those from him when he was clearing the remains out. I think he also had something to do with the better Russian engines making their way here, with the VA .049 leading the way if I remember correctly. I always read his column in Model Builder, even though I never flew competitive combat. He may have done the Flying Models column for a while?? As he got older, I think his attention turned to stunt, like a lot of aging combat guys did. I don't know if he is a member of any of the Halls of Fame, but I would say that he meets the criteria, because to me "Hall of Fame" means that you are know for what you do and have achieved and are famous!! I think there would be very few active modelers from the 70's, 80, 90, and early 2000's that wouldn't know who  Dirty Dan Rutherford is!!
  Fair winds and tight lines Dan!! Deepest sympathies to his family and close friends,
    Dan McEntee
AMA 28784
EAA  1038824
AMA 480405 (American Motorcyclist Association)

Offline john e. holliday

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Re: Dirty Dan Rutherford has left us...
« Reply #2 on: June 01, 2024, 09:31:22 PM »
That is sad to hear but,  I guess we all reach that age.   I did wonder what happened to him.  Now I know he is in a better place. :(
John E. "DOC" Holliday
10421 West 56th Terrace
Shawnee, KANSAS  66203
AMA 23530  Have fun as I have and I am still breaking a record.

Online Bruce Shipp

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Offline Neil Rogers

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Re: Dirty Dan Rutherford has left us...
« Reply #4 on: June 01, 2024, 11:14:24 PM »
Sorry to hear of Dan's passing.  One of the highlights of attending Chris Cox's contests was getting to talk to Dan.

Offline kenneth cook

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Re: Dirty Dan Rutherford has left us...
« Reply #5 on: June 02, 2024, 05:24:53 AM »
           He designed a neat 1/2A combat plane called the Dirty Beaver. I have one hanging over my work bench. It was TD powered and Dan signed the plans for me. I had asked Walter Umland at one time if he could kit that plane. I enjoyed talking with Dan, if there was one thing he was good at, it was making you laugh.

Offline Ty Marcucci

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Re: Dirty Dan Rutherford has left us...
« Reply #6 on: June 03, 2024, 01:30:01 PM »
I wonder what happened to him.. First time I met him was fun..our birthdays are one day apart. He was legendary.
Ty Marcucci

Offline Steve Thompson

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Re: Dirty Dan Rutherford has left us...
« Reply #7 on: June 09, 2024, 06:27:37 PM »
He wrote a column in Stunt News in the 90s.  Always many words and entertaining.

Offline Brett Buck

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Re: Dirty Dan Rutherford has left us...
« Reply #8 on: June 09, 2024, 07:15:21 PM »
He wrote a column in Stunt News in the 90s.  Always many words and entertaining.

   Dan was one of the best hobby writers I have ever read, always interesting - even when he had nearly nothing to say. Plenty of people can crank out 2000 words or more, not a lot of them could be consistently engaging. His column in Model Builder was a must-read, more-or-less the only reason I ever got the magazine. Same with his SN column, very-well written and frequently funny.   His writing skills and intelligence were such that he could also very easily and effectively skewer someone if he wanted to, and was extremely effective doing that - sometimes for good and others not so good.

   I considered him a very good friend, even by modeler standards he was clearly a unique individual.

     Brett

   

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