Ian Rudick

Ian Rudick’s (program founder) father, Alex Rudick was born in 1913. At the age of three, he contracted polio and his legs never fully developed. He learned to walk with braces and a cane until his elder years when due to post-polio he used a wheelchair for ambulation. My mother would refer to my father as “physically handicapped”. He was a successful businessperson who put his four kids through college and taught us all the value of work and family.

In 2001, he died in a nursing home wing for people with Alzheimer’s. My dad had dementia due to a series of mini-strokes but his death certificate listed a cause of death as Alzheimer’s. A powerful reminder of the importance of the company one keeps and the assumptions drawn from the company you keep. This fund is established to honor Ian Rudick’s Dad and create a legacy for him and his children.