I was planning to do a profile of Officer Harry Ruecker when Lt. Joseph Audino, a friend and a colleague of his, sent me something that Ruecker had written. As I read through the piece, I became convinced that no words of mine could express Rucker’s place in the history of the RPI community or in the Department of Public Safety better than Audino could. Here is what he said:
“Officer ‘Harry’ Ruecker will be leaving the Department of Public Safety in January of 2003 at the young age of ...”—he wouldn’t tell me. So, I guess we’ll need a clue. In the year Ruecker was born, Amelia Earhart became the first person to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean from Honolulu, Ha. to Oakland, Ca. If you know the year when that historical flight took place, then I guess Ruecker’s age isn’t a secret after all.
Ruecker joined the RPI public safety team in 1988, bringing with him a wealth of experience from the Warren County Sheriff’s office and the NY State Park Police, where he had been a member of the horse patrol. His experience in dealing with large crowds at concerts and other major events certainly served him well at Rensselaer when he worked at football games, hockey games, and other events with high attendence hosted on the campus.
When Assistant Chief Marc Del Vecchio came across information from the University of Pittsburgh about their Semester at Sea program, he immediately brought it to the attention of Ruecker. Why? Well, we knew that Ruecker was planning to retire, but we also understood that his idea of retirement would most likely involve two things: work and travel. Little did we know that he would be able to do both at the same time.
Two years after Ruecker sent in his application to the Semester at Sea Program, he was accepted. During the program, Ruecker will be doing duties similar to what he has done for most of his life: protecting people and property and traveling around the world.
Ruecker will be granted academic credit for participation in the Semester at Sea program, according to the University of Pittsburgh. The program will be taken in its entirety, with all faculty and courses approved through their respective departments. The curriculum onboard the ship will provide Ruecker with insight into various cultures and societies and allow him to examine and to assess what he observes.
Well, our last words to Ruecker are: if you need any help with your classes you know where to find us.
