This page is no longer being updated and remains online for informational and historical purposes only. The information is accurate as of the last page update.
For questions about page contents, contact the Communications Division.
Rude ‘57 has passion for water and thirst for justice A love of rivers and a keen eye for justice have led retired executive Bill Rude ‘57 into a fight for the welfare of the 219-mile-long MuskegonRiver in eastern Michigan. Rude was named Muskegon Riverkeeper last year by the Waterkeepers Alliance of N.Y., which was founded by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. in 1983. A newly Guilded screenwriter and avid reader with over 1,000 books in his library, Rude spends a lot of time looking at streams and rivers. He was a deckhand on an Ohio River coal barge during summers from the time he was 15. Rude was shocked when he moved to Newaygo, Mich., in 2001 to discover that the river he had once loved had turned to ruin in large part because of threats from zebra mussels as well as thermal pollution, which occurs when the water warms up, decreasing the amount ofdissolved oxygen, which fish need to survive. There are 94 dams in the river, according to Rude, which contribute to thermal pollution. He says support for protecting the river has been on the rise. “You have to be in the news. You have to work with legislatures. It’s a seven-day-a-week job.” He is forming a volunteer team to do weekly patrols along the river. He is also using his skills as a screenwriter to produce a video about the struggles of the Muskegon. A government and law graduate, Rude was a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity as well as the cross country and track teams. He co-captained the track team with Pete Rogers ‘57, still a close friend. “I got a phenomenal education at Lafayette,” he says. “The education I got there was second to none.”