FREDERICK "FRED" RUTT, JR. ~ Class of 1944
October 13, 1926 - October 20, 2005
~ 
~ Frederick Rutt, Jr. 79 years old, a 62 year resident of Richland since 1943, passed away at Kadlec
Medical Center, Richland, of complications of total knee replacements and a fractured hip on October
20, 2005.
Frederick was born in Fort Collins, Colorado on October 13, 1926, into a large family of Germans from
Russia. He had 4 uncles and an aunt in Fort Collins and numerous cousins. His Uncle Jake was a Police
Captain and his father was a Fire Captain, so he recalled that he never got away with anything. His
father and uncle married sisters, and his cousins were very special. In his adolescent years, Fred
attended schools in Fort Collins until his father was transferred to Richland, in 1943 to work as a
Fire Captain for the AEC. Fred recalled the cold rainy night the family arrived in Richland. His
mother took one look and told him and his sister not to unpack because they were not staying. This
passed and they all grew to love Richland eventually. He graduated from Richland High and like
everyone else he joined the service to help win the War. He served in the South Pacific as a Gunner’s
Mate in the Navy. Upon his discharge, he enrolled in college on the G.I. Bill and graduated from
college with a goal of working in Labor Relations.
Everyone at Hanford worked hard to win World War II even though they never knew what was being made
at Hanford until 1945. He recalled when all the Hanford workers donated a day’s pay and purchased a
bomber to help win the war. The High School team changed it’s name from the Beavers to the Bombers.
The mushroom logo was added after the bomb was dropped that helped end World War II. After 40 years,
Frederick retired as Director of Labor Relations for DOE – formerly AEC. He developed and chaired the
Hanford Labor management Conference and Panel to resolve disputes on the N-Reactor to end walk outs
that stopped construction again and again. The N-Reactor built in 1963 was the last of the defense
production plants. Twenty-four years later this reactor that could produce plutonium for nuclear war
heads and steam to generate electricity was the last reactor to be shut down.
Frederick was a member of the Presbyterian church in Fort Collins, CO and Central United Protestant
Church in Richland. He was a member of BPOE, the American Diabetes Association and the Juvenile
Diabetes Association. He was past president of the B.F. Advisory Committee for Juvenile Court, past
president of the Tri-Cities Diabetes Association, and a member of Germans from Russia, NARFE, VFW,
Tri-City Country Club and Club 40.
Fred loved Boxer dogs and for forty years, he owned Boxers and all were named Penny I, II, III, IV.
He loved his cabin in Idaho, going to the Oregon coast, trout fishing, duck hunting, gold mining and
huckleberry pancakes. Every evening in Idaho he would have a Friendship Hour with his old friend Dick
Boyd and Dick’s homemade moonshine. He had a love of beautiful suits and ties and he could go for six
months and never wear the same suit. He read voraciously and had 4-5 books going at one time.
History, nonfiction, Civil War and Custer were his favorites. But his special pride and joy was
watching his grandson Matthew’s ball games, piano recitals, Church programs and school activities. He
hoped to see Matthew grow up to become a Doctor.
Fred was very proud of his father and the firefighters in his company. He felt firefighters were the
bravest people he knew. His father received commendations for crawling into a smoke filled Prefab to
bring out a two year old by carrying the child in his teeth and backing out and following the wall so
he would not get disoriented in the smoke. The burning time for a Prefab was two minutes.
Along the way he met and married a nurse, Mable Wallace, who worked at Kadlec Methodist Hospital.
From this marriage were two children, Mollie and Matthew. Fred volunteered his time when the CUP
church ran the hospital to setup the wage, salary and personnel program. He vowed when he retired he
would return to help the nurse’s negotiate a just wage for the work and responsibility the nurses had
in hospitals. Of all the policies he helped create the one which gave workers job protection was his
thing of pride. Without that policy, any new contractors could have laid off workers and rehired
selectively.
Fred was always tough, fair and straightforward. An honest man whose word was his bond. He had no use
for manipulators or smoozers. His red pencil was legend. The Unions were aware that he knew how many
board feet the carpenters should be producing, a welder welding and an electrician wiring. On the
other hand he knew when the contractors were padding their expense plus contracts and they too were
brought up short. He was asked why do you care so much and he answered, “This is the taxpayer’s money
and none of you are entitled to a free lunch on my watch.” He worked for seven managers, negotiated
with thirteen contractors, eighteen thousand employees and never compromised his old fashioned
principles in forty years.
He had a wonderful sense of humor and his repertoire of jokes was a good tension reliever in
prolonged negotiations of 12-15 hour sessions.
He was preceded in death by his parents Frederick Rutt, Sr. and Mollie Derr Rutt, brother-in-law
Laurence Moorman, Sr., cousins, Lilly, Esther and Jack Rutt, Uncle Jacob Rutt and Aunt Lizzie Rutt.
Special friends who have preceded him are Dean Canham and Bernard “Spence” Simpson ('46-RIP).
He is survived by his wife Mable Rutt, daughter Mollie Rutt, son Matthew Rutt (Barbara), and grandson
Matthew Frederick, sisters and their families Dorothy Moorman, Seattle, nephew Laurence Moorman, Jr.
and family, Patricia Rutt Kinzig ('49) (Robert), Yakima and nephews Tom and Jerry Kinzig and families,
Barbara Rutt, Morrison, CO and Suzanne Archer, CO and numerous nephews and nieces. We will miss you so
much. “Say not sadly that he left us, rather celebrate that he was here.” We love you Papa.
Memorial services will be held on Wednesday, October 26, 2005 at Einan’s Funeral Home, 915 Bypass
Highway, Richland, at 1:00 p.m.
Visitation will be at Einan's from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. both Monday and Tuesday.
Memorials may be made to the ADA Association, the Juvenile Diabetes Association or the Kennewick
General Hospital Diabetes Support Group or the Charity of your choice.