JMU professor appointed by Youngkin to preserve Virginia history

By EMMA JOHNSON The Breeze

The right side of Ken Rutherford’s office is hidden behind a bookshelf filled with texts about seemingly every corner of the world. Among them is a book he wrote, titled “America’s Buried History: Landmines in the Civil War.”

Rutherford, a humanitarian and political science professor at JMU, lost his legs in a 1993 landmine accident while helping refugees in Somalia. Since then, he’s dedicated his life to landmine prevention and warfare restrictions, driven by his passion for histories of all kinds.

And now, Rutherford has added a narrowed focus on Virginia to his repertoire of historical knowledge and is the newest appointee to Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s Board of Historic Resources, joining in the board in March.

“The history in Virginia is amazing, like, I’m never moving,” Rutherford said. “Virginia … it punches above its body weight.”

Originally from California and previously unfamiliar with Virginia’s history, Rutherford said he “doesn’t have a Civil War bone in his body” but his love for Virginia’s history has made him “extremely proud” to be Youngkin’s newest appointee.

“Today, I am grateful to announce the following administration and board appointments,” Youngkin announced in a March 10 press release via his website, which included Rutherford and five other appointees. “I am confident that with their help we will be able to strengthen the spirit of Virginia and accomplish great things for our Commonwealth.”

Formerly a Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation board of trustees member — a congressionally mandated organization that works to preserve land and resources for the Virginia public — for seven years, Rutherford is now one of six members appointed to the state’s historic board to approve and disapprove historic proposals related to the federal and Virginia government’s historic register, a term he’ll serve for four years, he said.

Rutherford said the governor’s office called him to check in after he was offered the position. He said the office asked what it could expect him to bring to the role.

“I said, ‘I will not be a wallflower,’” Rutherford said. “Life’s too short to just be a wallflower.”

Rutherford accepted the position in February, selected from a pool of other nominees by Youngkin to work alongside the other board members to interpret Virginia’s history.

Ben Marchi, who served as a trustee on the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation alongside Rutherford and who nominated him for the position, said Rutherford’s dedication to serving fellow citizens made him the perfect candidate.

“He possesses that stern stuff that exemplifies the best in us and promotes public service in a way we all ought to emulate,” Marchi said.

The position’s duties, Rutherford said, are threefold. The board collectively votes on various historical markers, most recently approving a historic trail along the Eastern Shore to preserve the history of the African American crabbers in March. The board also deals with historic easements, which allow historic landowners to request the preservation of their land if it holds enough historic value for Virginia taxpayers.

It’s the historic easements, Rutherford said, that play a crucial role in maintaining the history of certain areas. He noted Virginia’s efforts in this aspect, but said without the historic board, which some states don’t have, historic preservation can be put at risk.

Rutherford said other states that may not have historic boards to preserve state history are at risk of their history becoming “concrete.”

The board’s final responsibility is to host four annual meetings. Rutherford said it held a meeting in March, during which it discussed agenda items and other requests pertaining to historic preservation.

“We had, like, 70 agenda items in the meeting, I read every single one,” Rutherford said. “They went ‘You actually read all this?’ I loved it.”

Rutherford said he wants to focus on smaller communities that rely on tourists’ dollars to generate revenue.

“In my previous life, like before I lost my legs, I was working in economic development,” Rutherford said. “If we could help them make income from tourist dollars, and at the same time preserve our history, that’s a win-win.”

While the board recognizes many areas, from small communities to bigger areas such as Northern Virginia and Richmond, Rutherford said he’d personally like to work on recognizing more of the Shenandoah Valley.

He said a goal of his is to meet with the Chamber of Commerce in different communities to discuss what can be done to increase historic preservation and possibly generate a historic trail through the valley.

“One thing I noticed from the first meeting is that, as a region, we’re pretty irrelevant,” Rutherford said.

Another goal for Rutherford is to develop a broader perspective of Virginia’s history while still preserving it. While he’s only attended one meeting, Rutherford said he feels a majority of the politicization lies in conversations with people who, when you scratch beneath the surface, don’t know the history.

“I feel like, Democrat or Republican, we can work together at preserving our state’s history,” Rutherford said. “No history should be ignored, and all history should be respected.”

Marchi said he believes the board will benefit from Rutherford’s experience, thoughtfulness and work ethic.

“He’s a good man, and I know he shares Governor Youngkin’s desire to preserve all of our history, so we can share this special and inspirational story with future generations,” Marchi said.

In terms of the board’s future ventures, Rutherford said he has a lot of ideas.

“For me, personally and professionally … if I can still serve and people want me to serve, I’ll do that,” Rutherford said. “I love good ideas, and I love passionate people.”