{"id":51618,"date":"2019-12-05T14:37:51","date_gmt":"2019-12-05T20:37:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=51618"},"modified":"2019-12-05T14:37:56","modified_gmt":"2019-12-05T20:37:56","slug":"toy-building-event-just-one-example-of-rudas-legacy-at-fort-hays-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=51618","title":{"rendered":"Toy-building event \u2013 just one example of Ruda\u2019s legacy at Fort Hays State"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Diane Gasper-O\u2019Brien
<\/strong>University Relations and Marketing
<\/em> A community event at Fort Hays State University has long been attended by entire families who volunteer to make wooden toys on the first Saturday in December.

This year\u2019s Dr. Fred P. Ruda Teaming Up for Tots project will have extra special meaning for one Hays family.

Several members of Ruda\u2019s family will be on hand to help sand, glue, nail, assemble \u2013 or whatever is needed \u2013 at the 30th annual event, now named in honor of its organizer. The toys are delivered to the local TUFT organization, which distributes them to children who otherwise might not receive a Christmas gift.

Troy Ruda, son of Ruda and his wife, Sherrill, participated in several toy building days as a teenager and is really looking forward to this year because his children are old enough to help.

TUFT is one of three opportunities that university personnel have taken to honor the legacy of Fred Ruda, who died in a vehicle accident in 2012. An award at FHSU\u2019s annual technology education fair in the spring also is named after the professor who spent 39 years at his alma mater, the last 33 as chair of the Department of Applied Technology.

And next year, the atrium in the Center for Applied Technology will be named the Dr. Fred P. Ruda Atrium: Gateway to Technology Education.

To those who never got the chance to meet Ruda, he might seem larger than life. He is \u2013 to many who did get the privilege to know Doc, as he was affectionately known. Some claim they still hear the sound of his cowboy boots in the hallway.

Sherrill laughs while describing Doc\u2019s duties at TUFT.

\u201cHe mainly walked around and talked to everyone,\u201d she said. \u201cHe just really enjoyed visiting with people and loved it when families brought their children along to help.\u201d

He earned that right, Sherrill said, because his work on the project was done long before assembly day. Every year, Doc solicited sponsors from local businesses. That sponsorship continues today, and there is little, if any, cost to the Applied Technology Department.
This year\u2019s toy is an SUV, complete with a family of three permanently glued in their seats.

There will be pizza for the workers, a tradition Doc started the first year when there were only about 20 volunteers. Last year, the number of helpers reached more than 100 when the volunteers bustled around the CAT wood shop with room to spare. It was a stark contrast to the cramped quarters in Davis Hall.

Doc never got to work in the CAT. Construction on the new building began a few years after he died and was completed in 2017. Nonetheless, it\u2019s a piece of progress of which his family says he would be so proud.

\u201cOh, my, would he be so pleased with that new building,\u201d Sherrill said. \u201cFrom the industrial arts department when he started, to technology studies to the applied technology of today, Fred always knew you had to keep changing to be successful.\u201d

Troy also said his dad would be pleased with the new building. But Troy still has fond memories of the toy building event in Davis Hall.

\u201cI remember going to work with Dad on Saturdays and running all around that building; it was the coolest building,\u201d he said. \u201cBut the toy building day was the best. We looked forward to it every year.\u201d

Troy\u2019s children were preschool age when their grandfather died. But this year, 11-year-old Madison and 9-year-old Ethan will be on hand to help Saturday along with Troy\u2019s wife, Lisa. So, too, will the Rudas\u2019 daughter, Karrie Millershaski, and her grown daughter, Hannah \u2013 who will make the trip from Montezuma for the day.

\u201cIt will be great to see some of the people who keep coming back year after year, those who knew Dad,\u201d Troy said. \u201cBut it will be cool to see so many new people taking part in such a great event, too.\u201d

Kim Stewart, Doc\u2019s successor as chair of the department, is a Fort Hays State grad who returned to his alma mater to work with his mentor in 1997. Stewart is one who still hears Doc\u2019s boots in the hallways.

\u201cDr. Ruda taught and advised nearly all industrial technology students over his nearly 40 years at Fort Hays State,\u201d Stewart said. \u201cHe had such a positive impact on so many of us. He truly was the gateway to technology education.\u201d

Volunteers for Saturday\u2019s event will be treated to donuts and juice upon their arrival, and the assembly work will begin at 9 a.m. in the CAT.

Dr. Duane Renfrow, associate professor of applied technology, and FHSU students design and cut the pieces beforehand, and the assembly lines on Saturday morning are a sight to see.

The scene is heartwarming for Sherrill to watch those at work, especially a handful of participants who have indicated they received a toy when they were young and returned years later in an effort to give back.

There couldn\u2019t be a more touching testament to her husband\u2019s legacy.

\u201cWe\u2019re just passing through here on Earth,\u201d Sherrill said. \u201cWhat pleases me the most is to see that Fred did make his mark in this life.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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