Rubeck, a beloved professor of performing arts, died in May.
Dozens of students, faculty, staff, and friends came together on Aug. 25 to dedicate a memorial bench for Fred Rubeck, professor of performing arts and chair of the Department of Performing Arts, who died in May.
The bench sits at the back of Love Terrace at the Center for the Arts, facing Lake Mary Nell.
“A bench is a place where people can pause, where conversations happen and where friends can gather; a place where someone finds a moment of rest during the business of their day, a place where memories have the space to bubble up to the surface. In many ways, that feels fitting for Fred because Fred spent his life creating spaces where people could gather – in the classroom, rehearsal room and throughout this university,” said Imam Shane Atkinson, associate chaplain for muslim life, in his remarks at the dedication.
Fred spent his life creating spaces where people could gather – in the classroom, rehearsal room and throughout this university.
-Imam Shane Atikinson, associate chaplain for muslime life
Rubeck joined the Ƶ faculty in 1988 and served as chair of the Department of Performing Arts twice—first from 2006 to 2018, and again from 2022 until his passing. In that role, he skillfully guided one of the largest departments at Ƶ, serving multiple majors and minors all focused on excellent performance experiences that challenge, entertain, and teach. He was instrumental in building the foundation of the performing arts programs, supervising the renovations of the Center for the Arts and the construction of Scott Studios, which includes the Roberts Studio Theatre, rehearsal hall, dressing rooms, and shop and storage facilities.
“We are so blessed to have known Fred,” said Kimberly Rippy, program assistant for the Department of Performing Arts and coordinator of auditions and interviews. “From the time I got here, he was one of my best friends and looked out for me, from everything from work to personal. He was a great mentor. He was an even better friend, and he is truly going to be missed. I’m so glad that those of you who did get to spend a lot of time with him have those memories, and I hope that the first-year students can speak to the current students, and they can tell you what a truly gifted and wonderful person he was to have in this department.”
Rubeck’s contributions were recognized with numerous honors, including the College of Arts and Sciences Excellence in Teaching Award, the Semester Sabbatical Award, the Exemplary Service Award for Advising College Freshmen, a Summer Fellowship in Playwriting and a Faculty Research Grant for the study of movement training for the actor.
“Generations of Ƶ students benefited from Fred’s teaching, which spanned nearly every aspect of the performing arts curriculum—performance, directing, playwriting, theory, production, ensemble, travel courses, and general education,” said Ƶ President Connie Ledoux Book in an email to the university community in May. “It is hard to imagine Ƶ without Fred’s joyful and dashing presence. His warmth, his craft, and his deep kindness for students and colleagues alike shaped this community in ways we will never forget.”
As Atkinson concluded Tuesday’s event, he acknowledged that the bench could be a place for “friendship, storytelling and memory.”
“May it remind us that some of the most important things we leave behind cannot be measured by titles, programs or buildings. They’re measured in the people here today and the memories that continue to bring a smile long after someone is gone,” said Atkinson. “So we give thanks for Fred, and we dedicate this bench in gratitude for all he gave to this community, and to the generations of people whose lives were different because he was here.”