Elliott Moye Rutledge

Elliott Moye Rutledge, age 77, died Tuesday February 26, 2013 at his home on Mount Sequoyah in Fayetteville, Arkansas. He was born in Gallatin, Tennessee on March 26, 1935. Dr. Rutledge was professor emeritus of Pedology, in the Department of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences at the University of Arkansas. Dr. Rutledge taught for 40 years until his retirement in 2009, where he was twice recognized as the outstanding professor in the Department of Agriculture. His research was responsible for improving water quality throughout Arkansas because of the scientific standards he devised for septic systems. His greatest passion was mentoring students, guiding their careers and establishing lifelong friendships and enjoying their success. Dr. Rutledge was a fellow of both the American Society of Agronomy and the Soil Science Society of America, in which he was a board member and chair of the S-5 Pedology Division. He was also a member of the international research organization, the Society of the Sigma Xi, The Ohio State Chapter. His research interests included the suitability of soils for various uses, especially onsite treatment of wastewaters; the genesis and classification of soils; loess deposits as soil parent materials; the composition and interpretation of soil map units; anthropic effects on soils; and soil management. Rutledge obtained a BS degree in Agronomy at Tennessee Technological University, an MS in Soil Science at the University of Arkansas, and a PhD in Soil Science/Pedology at The Ohio State University. Dr. Rutledge was heavily involved in many community activities. He was a Paul Harris Fellow at the Fayetteville Downtown Rotary Club, where he served on the international student exchange committee and personally hosted students at his Fayetteville home. He was an elder and long-time member of the First United Presbyterian Church, where he served on various committees. Rutledge was also an active supporter of progressive organizations, including the ACLU, the Nature Conservancy and the Sierra Club. He was active in many Democrat Party political campaigns, was a member of Fayetteville's Democrat Party Senior Council, and, of course, he was a "Friend of Bill's." He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Barbara Bolton Green Rutledge of Fayetteville, his daughter Malinda Sugg Rutledge Kirchner and her husband Larry Stephen Kirchner, both of Little Rock; his son Elliott Moye Rutledge III ("Trey") and his wife Kimberly Kay Glass Rutledge of Fayetteville; his grandsons, Stephen Bolton Kirchner of Jackson, Mississippi, John Rutledge Kirchner of Little Rock, Elliott Moye Rutledge IV "Drew" and Cole Dixon Rutledge both of Fayetteville; and his brother-in-law Ralph Green, his wife, Marilyn Pedersen of Plymouth, Minnesota, and his nieces Alexandra Pedersen-Green, also of Plymouth, and Sonja Pedersen-Green of Washington, D.C. Dr. Rutledge was born in his family home, Douglass Heights, Gallatin, Tennessee. Dr. Rutledge was preceded in death by his infant daughter, Elizabeth Lucille Rutledge and his mother, Emma Sugg McKoin Rutledge and his father Elliott Moye Rutledge Sr., both Sumner County natives. His memorial service will be 2 p.m. Friday, March 1, 2013 at First United Presbyterian Church, 695 Calvin Street, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72703 with Reverends Phil and Jan Butin officiating. There will be two family interment services, one at the First United Presbyterian columbarium, and the second at the Rutledge family plot in Crestview Cemetery in Gallatin, Tennessee. Arrangements are under the direction of Moore's Chapel in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Memorial gifts may be made to the James L. Gray Scholarship Fund; University Development, 311 University House, #1 University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701-9980 or the First United Presbyterian Church at 695 Calvin Street, Fayetteville, Ark. 72703. To place an online tribute visit www.mooresfuneralchapel.com.