Philanthropic Giving in Support of Gender Equity

Susan and William Rutherford ’73 have nine granddaughters, and when they endowed the William A. ’73 and Susan Rutherford Civil Engineering Scholarship, they did so to help ensure there would always be scholarship support available for all women if they chose to study civil engineering.

Growing up in the 1950s and 1960s, Rutherford says he recognizes how different his life would have been had he been born a woman. With the gender inequity of the mid-20th century, he says, “No matter how capable or hard-working I was, if I were a women in those days, I would never have been encouraged to take the pre-requisite high school courses needed to attend WPI, never joined the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), never joined a fraternity, never worked as a union ironworker, welder, and truck driver, never become a professional engineer and construction manager, and, ultimately, I never would have experienced having my own forensic engineering business.”

Rutherford reflects, “Regrettably, I didn’t appreciate these sad facts of American life until I entered the work world. Susan did a lot to educate me after telling me about her youth and the professional struggles she faced, so we are doing what we can to help close the persistent workplace gender inequity gap. Our hope is that our nine granddaughters, and their daughters and granddaughters after them, will grow up in a world where women engineers have the same professional opportunities as their male counterparts.”

Rutherford grew up in Worcester, attended Burncoat High School, and was drawn to WPI by its long-standing reputation for rigorous academics. He commuted from home for two years to save money and says he was fortunate to have received a three-year ROTC scholarship that enabled him to complete his education. “Without it, I most certainly would have left WPI,” says Rutherford.

“I was never a wizard at anything,” he says. “I had to work hard at everything I did. Over the years, I learned the importance of good luck, persistence, and having the desire to take advantage of good opportunities.” He graduated in 1973 as a second lieutenant in the Army Corps of Engineers and a member of the Civil Engineering Honor Society (Chi Epsilon). “I credit my Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity brothers and civil engineering professors with much of my success, as they were a great support system throughout my academic journey at WPI.”

Rutherford left the service in 1977 as a captain and moved to New Hampshire with his young family to begin his professional career. “From truck driver and pre-cast concrete plant manager to union iron worker and structural steel welder, my professional journey led to design engineering and field engineering at nuclear power plants, among many other positions.” He became chief planner for the Beaver Valley II Nuclear Power Station in Pittsburgh, and then took a position as senior nuclear waste management engineer with the Department of Energy in Richmond, Wash. From 2000 to 2010, he managed his own forensic engineering/consulting business and eventually retired to Idaho and then Arizona with Susan. “Today, we enjoy the blessings of our three children, 10 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild,” he says.

Acknowledging the role WPI played in his professional career, he says, “The technical training I gained at WPI was invaluable. I learned how to tackle complex problems, adapt quickly, work with others, ask for help, and most important, persevere. Making it through WPI’s tough curriculum gave me confidence in myself, and having a WPI degree opened a lot of doors.”

When asked about why they endowed the William A. ’73 and Susan Rutherford Civil Engineering Scholarship, he says, “I feel very fortunate to have received a three-year Army ROTC scholarship, which allowed me to earn a WPI education. I am especially grateful for the many WPI alumni who played roles in my fulfilling professional journey. For all WPI has afforded me and my family, Susan and I wanted to give something back. Our named scholarship will give students who need assistance an opportunity to attend WPI and pursue a degree in civil engineering. We have structured the scholarship with WPI’s help so that half of the recipients will be men and half will be women to the best of WPI’s ability. We would like to see all the scholarship programs offer the same equity, if they don’t already do that.”

As Beyond These Towers: A Campaign for WPI continues its mission to sustain and enhance the university, this gift supports both the student scholarship campaign priority as well as the priority for all students to feel a sense of equal belonging and support in their quest for excellence on The Hill. “Susan and I have had a good life and want to invest in WPI and the young women and men who choose to attend this great school. To my fellow WPI alumni, I say, ‘Give, give, give. You, too, can make a positive difference in someone’s life.’”