John Edward Rucker , VRHS Class of 1961
With great sadness, we the family of John Edward Rucker announce his passing at 2:00 A.M. on October 2, 2018 at Ellis Hospital in Schenectady, N.Y. Our brother was born on February 17, 1942 and was a longtime Rensselaer resident. At the time of his transition, he resided in the Kingsway Community located at 5000 Queen Philomena Boulevard, Schenectady, N.Y. At Van Rensselaer High School. Columbia Basin College (Pasco, WA.), the University of Idaho, and during a 13 year pro basketball career in the French National League, he was an exceptionally gifted athlete. Johnny was a perennial MVP. In his French National League pro basketball debut, told by his coach that 15 points a game wouldn’t cut it, he went out on the court and scored 46 points. John is a 2013 inductee into the Upstate New York Basketball Hall of Fame and he has also been inducted into our Alumni Hall of Fame. After retiring from basketball overseas, he returned Stateside and taught in the Rensselaer City School District while also serving on the Board of Directors for the Rensselaer Boys and Girls Clubs. He was active in the community, making financial donations to a number of Capital District area charitable organizations and churches. For several years John worked as a Resident Hall Director for the State University of New York at Albany, followed by a decade long career as a supervisor in the Office Of Diversity and Inclusion for the State of New York. An avid sportsman and active traveler, his hobbies included cycling, ballroom dancing, and cruising. His extensive travel spanned the globe, taking him to each the world’s seven continents. John was predeceased by his parents, Winford and Orlean Rucker as well as his brother Winford Rucker, Jr. He is survived by sister Marcia Chandler, brothers Bill (Mittie) Rucker, Ronald (Yoko) Rucker, Roger Rucker, Garland Rucker, Maurice Rucker, and sister Antonia (Samuel) Brown. John is also survived by forty-two loving nieces and nephews, for whom he had always been a faithful supporter and an exemplary role model. He lived a significant life.