The Name

Rust Hall derives its name from Ted Rust, the director of The Memphis College of Art from 1949 to 1975. When he stepped down, the board thought it an honorable way to commiserate his long dedication to the school. Not wanting to ruin the pleasing architecture of the building, Rust opted for a simplistic plaque that stands in front of the school to honor him. 

Before his position as director, Ted attended both Yale and Cornell ultimately earning a bachelor of fine arts in 1936. From there he went to teach at William and Mary.  During WW2 he joined the American Red Cross and taught art and sculpture to rehabilitated veterans. After WW2 he worked as a sculptor in Brooklyn before Ike Myers eventually found him and hired him as the director of the college in 1949. In his tenure, he moved the College of Art from 2 run-down mansions to the new building in Overton Park on October 30, 1957. He increased class sizes, and course offerings, and brought artists from all over the country to come to teach. Ultimately, he deserves much credit for its prosperity in the latter half of the 1900s.