David M. Rust ’62

David M. Rust ’62, of Columbia, Md.; Feb. 12, from complications of Parkinson’s. He was a pioneer in the field of solar physics. His 40-year career included posts at Mount Wilson Observatory in Calif., Sacramento Peak Observatory in New Mexico, American Science and Engineering in Boston, and Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. In 1983 he joined Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Lab, where he worked until his retirement in 2007. His career was distinguished by breakthrough advances in both experiment and theory. He considered the Flare Genesis Project in Antarctica the pinnacle of his professional career and the greatest adventure of his life. Flare Genesis obtained unique data on the early magnetic evolution of solar activity. He enjoyed sailing the Chesapeake, hiking the Rockies, and spending a year in Paris. He was an avid art collector and also enjoyed the opera. At Brown he was yearbook photographer and editor. He is survived by his wife, Gail; a daughter; a son; a son-in-law; four grandchildren; and a sister.