2. -Early Days- Rusty got off to a terrific start in Memphis, where he was raised by loving parents, Elizabeth and Russell, Sr.
3. -Early Days- Even at an early age, Rusty had a penchant for environmental design and land planning.
4. As you can imagine, Rusty was a rather precocious child. -Early Days-
5. -Early Days- Here we see Rusty hitting the local Cotton Carnival party circuit as he escorts a young southern belle.
6. -Early Days- Here are young Kem Wilson and Rusty cooking up trouble at summer camp. Little did they know they would continue their collaboration on projects such as Schilling Farms.
7. -Early Days- Frank Crump, a past president of Lambda Alpha, has provided great counsel to Rusty over the years.
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9. -MUS Schooling - It was also at MUS that Rusty honed his infamous people skills. Here we see Rusty practicing the fine art of persuasion.
10. -University of Virginia- In 1968, Rusty received his undergraduate degree in architecture from the University of Virginia.
11. -European Fellowship- After college graduation, Rusty studied housing patterns in Europe as a Fellow of the American-Scandinavian Foundation.
12. -Yale Graduate Program- From 1972 to 1973, he worked on housing analysis in Yale’s Environmental Design Program.
18. -Boyle- In the late 1960s, Rusty walked into the offices of Boyle Investment Company and asked for a job.
19. -Bayard Boyle, Sr.- Bayard Boyle, Sr. was willing to take a chance on Rusty, who has been with Boyle ever since.
20. “ I had come in cold, off the street, just out of college, needed a part-time job for the summer and I had gone in and ended up being slowly escorted up a long flight of steps to a very wonderful office to meet him and Bayard, his son had taken me up there and he was really unbelievably charismatic and gracious and kind and I was somebody he did not know from Timbuktu and very young and he treated me with just great graciousness I came to always expect. He was terrific.”
21. -The Birches- Rusty’s first project at Boyle was a residential neighborhood in Whitehaven called The Birches, which has nicely withstood the test of time.
22. Rusty has risked life and limb while working on many of Boyle projects. During development of Ridgeway Center and River Oaks, Rusty nearly sacrificed his body by standing in front of a bulldozer to save a stately old oak tree. -River Oaks-
23. For this brave feat Rusty was featured as a “ Tree Fanatic in Memphis” by Southern Living Magazine.
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26. -Residential Projects- These include River Oaks, Green Shadows, Blue Heron, The Cloisters, The Neighborhood at Schilling Farms, and Chartwell of River Oaks. Rusty attributes the success of Boyle’s residential projects to the legacy of Bayard Boyle, Sr.
27. “ All these wonderful neighborhoods that communities formed around were built by Boyle Investment Company under his direction. It really goes through every decade, the 30’s, 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. Off of those communities, other communities formed - some we didn’t do, but many we did. Memphis wouldn’t be the way it is.”
28. -Ridgeway Center- Rusty also devoted much of his career working hand-in-hand with Bayard Boyle and Henry Morgan to plan and develop large, complex mixed-use projects such as Ridgeway Center, which was launched in the early 1970s.
32. -Humphreys Center- In the early 1990s, Rusty worked with the Boyle family to develop Humphreys Center, now a bustling office, retail and medical center in the heart of East Memphis.
33. -Schilling Farms- The 400-plus-acre Schilling Farms community in Collierville is another large mixed-use project that Rusty developed along with Boyle’s joint venture partner, Harry Smith.
37. -Meridian Cool Springs- Situated on 65 acres, Meridian offers 700,000 square feet of office space and more than 70,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, including two hotels.
38. -Rusty Unveils Schilling Farms- Rusty has received extensive coverage in the press for his involvement in many of Boyle’s projects including Schilling Farms…….
40. -At Home in Memphis- Rusty and Fran were featured in Memphis Magazine.
41. -Founding of ULI/Memphis- In addition, Rusty serves on the boards of many community organizations and has contributed countless hours of pro bono work in the Memphis area. He was instrumental in starting the Urban Land Institute/Memphis District and the Memphis Regional Design Center, working with both John Dudas and Frank Ricks, and he currently serves as Chairman of ULI/Memphis.
42. -MAAR Commercial Real Estate Hall of Fame- In 2009, he was inducted into the Commercial Real Estate Hall of Fame by the Memphis Area Association of Realtors.
43. -Memphis University School- He serves on the Board of Trustees of Memphis University School. -Boyle’s MUS Alumni- -Recording Studio Donated to MUS- -Memphis Developers -
44. -Board memberships- Founding Member, Urban Land Institute/Memphis Knight Fellows Program, University of Miami Board Member, Memphis Regional Design Center Memphis Board of Realtors Environmental Committee (1991) ULI Large Scale Development Council (1985-1997) Memphis Board of Realtors “Associate Man of the Year Award” (1985) Memphis Board of Realtors Planning and Zoning Chairman (1982-1984) Board of Directors, Memphis Botanic Gardens Board of Trustees, Presbyterian Day School Board of Trustees, Hutchison School Board of Directors, Anderson Tully Company Board of Directors, Financial Federal Savings & Loan Bank Board of Directors, Boyle Investment Company Chairman, Collierville Town Square Committee, Collierville Chamber of Commerce Commissioner, City Beautiful Chairman of Paint the Town Red, City Beautiful
45. Russell E. Bloodworth, Jr. 2010 Lambda Alpha Lifetime Achievement Award Winner So with this list of impressive accomplishments, we think it is only fitting to present Rusty with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Editor's Notes
Rusty got off to a terrific start here in Memphis, where he was raised by loving parents, Elizabeth and Russell Bloodworth, Sr.
Even at an early age, Rusty had a penchant for environmental design and land planning.
As you can imagine, Rusty was a rather precocious child.
Here we see Rusty hitting the local Cotton Carnival party circuit as he escorts a young southern belle.
Here are young Kem Wilson and Rusty cooking up trouble at summer camp. Little did they know they would continue their collaboration on projects such as Schilling Farms in Collierville.
Frank Crump, a past president of Lambda Alpha, has provided great counsel to Rusty over the years.
In ninth grade, Rusty enrolled at Memphis University School, an institution with which he would develop a life-long loyalty. In addition to Wilson Barton, it was at MUS that Rusty met a whole cast of characters with whom he would eventually work side by side for many years at Boyle Investment Company: Henry Morgan, Joel Fulmer, Cary Whitehead and myself just to name a few.
It was also at MUS that Rusty honed his infamous people skills. Here we see Rusty practicing the fine art of persuasion.
In 1968, Rusty received his undergraduate degree in architecture from the University of Virginia.
After college graduation, Rusty studied housing patterns in Europe as a Fellow of the American-Scandinavian Foundation.
From 1972 to 1973, Rusty did graduate work in housing analysis in Yale’s Environmental Design Program.
Rusty also proudly served his country as a lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps.
In 1973, Rusty married the lovely Fran Tully.
Fran and Rusty have been married for more than forty years and have four children: Russell III, Elizabeth, Faith and Christopher…….
…… ..and five grandchildren.
Unfortunately, Rusty’s attempt to subsidize his real estate income has been a total failure.
In the late 1960s, Rusty walked into the offices of Boyle Investment Company and asked for a job.
Bayard Boyle, Sr. was willing to take a chance on Rusty, who has been with Boyle ever since.
Rusty’s first project at Boyle was a residential neighborhood in Whitehaven called The Birches, which has nicely withstood the test of time.
Rusty has risked life and limb while working on many of Boyle residential projects. During development Ridgeway Center and River Oaks, Rusty nearly sacrificed his body by standing in front of a bulldozer to save a stately old oak tree.
For this brave feat Rusty was featured as a “Tree Fanatic in Memphis” by Southern Living magazine.
In surveying the land at Boyle’s Spring Creek Ranch community, Rusty was chased by one of Dr. David Meyer’s infamous bulls while out roaming the property one day.
Rusty has never let these incidents slow him down and he’s gone on to develop an impressive portfolio of well-known, upscale residential projects.
These include River Oaks, Green Shadows, Blue Heron, The Cloisters, The Neighborhood at Schilling Farms, and Chartwell of River Oaks. Rusty attributes the success of Boyle’s residential projects to the legacy of Bayard Boyle, Sr.
Rusty also devoted much of his career working hand-in-hand with Bayard Boyle and Henry Morgan to plan and develop large, complex mixed-use projects such as Ridgeway Center , which was launched in the early 1970s. Show Aerials of Ridgeway Center and the Sign.
Rusty helped develop income producing properties in Ridgeway Center such as the Marsh and Morgan Keegan buildings and 999 Shady Grove.
In the early 1990s, Rusty worked with the Boyle family to develop Humphreys Center, now a bustling office, retail and medical center in the heart of East Memphis.
The 400-plus-acre Schilling Farms community in Collierville is another large mixed-use project that Rusty developed along with Boyle’s joint venture partner, Harry Smith.
Rusty worked with Boyle’s Nashville office to create a world-class, mixed-use community in Franklin called Meridian Cool Springs.
Situated on 65 acres, Meridian offers 700,000 square feet of office space and more than 70,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, including two hotels.
Rusty has received extensive coverage in the press for his involvement in many of Boyle’s projects including Schilling Farms…….
… .and Ridgeway Center.
Rusty and Fran were featured in Memphis Magazine.
In addition, Rusty serves on the boards of many community organizations and has contributed countless hours of pro bono work in the Memphis area. He was instrumental in starting the Urban Land Institute/Memphis District and the Memphis Regional Design Center, working with both John Dudas and Frank Ricks, and he currently serves as Chairman of ULI/Memphis.
In 2009, he was inducted into the Commercial Real Estate Hall of Fame by the Memphis Area Association of Realtors.
He serves on the Board of Trustees of Memphis University School.
The list of organizations with which he is involved is too long to name but include many professional organizations, Memphis companies, and educational institutions.
So with this list of impressive accomplishments, we think it is only fitting to present Rusty with the Lifetime Achievement Award.