Cedric Rucker at 2014 Devil-Goat Day
Cedric Rucker ’81, UMW’s associate vice president for student affairs and dean of student life, was named a Living Legacy by Richmond Public Schools.
Rucker, a 1977 graduate of the city’s John Marshall High School, received the honor in an April 29 ceremony that also recognized Richmond public school alumni Willie Lanier, a retired NFL linebacker, and Henry L. Marsh, a retired state senator.
Rucker was recognized as an inspirational leader who exemplifies an extraordinary life. The school system “prepared us to work hard, and to imagine a world anew,” Rucker said. He cited his parents and his grandparents as inspirational foundations, and he pointed to UMW alumni in the audience as innovative leaders.
“We stand on the shoulders of those who came before us,” he said, “and we have a responsibility to uplift the next generation.”
Known for his infectious laugh and bow tie collection, Rucker has spent more than three decades at Mary Washington. Though he was not the first African-American man to receive a degree from Mary Washington, he was the first who lived on campus and completed all four years there.
Rucker earned a master’s degree from the University of Virginia and served briefly as U.Va.’s assistant dean of admissions before returning to Mary Washington as an administrator and a larger-than-life campus presence.