By the Family

Mar. 21, 2018:  Thomas “Dusty” Rhodes died on March 7, 2018, after a long illness. He lived in Bronxville from 1965 to 1974 and then moved to London.

Dusty devoted much of his life to fighting socialism and big government. He lent his talents and financial resources to dozens of conservative projects, organizations, and causes.

Dusty graduated from the University of Pennsylvania after serving in the Army, earning an MBA from The Wharton School.  

He joined Goldman, Sachs & Co in 1971 working in New York and London over the next 21 years, becoming a partner in 1986. 

In 1992, he joined National Review magazine, serving as president and chairman of the board until 2009. During this period, he played important roles in several other key conservative organizations including chairman of the board of the Bradley Foundation in Milwaukee, WI, trustee of The Heritage Foundation in Washington, DC, a member of the Council on Foreign Affairs in New York, founder of the Empire Foundation for Policy Research, co-founder of The Club for Growth, Washington, DC, and board member of the International Rescue Committee.

He worked with Ward Connerly to end racial preferences in higher education and with former Governor George Pataki to reduce taxes in New York State and bring charter schools to the state.

He was idealistic and a great patriot, and although he held strong conservative views, he had the gift of making friends with people of all political persuasions, bringing laughter and good humor to all situations. 

He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Gleaves, and his three children, Caroline, Berkely, and Tom, and four grandchildren, Tucker, Devin, William, and Nicholas.

There will be a memorial service for Dusty in New York City on Saturday, March 24, at the Union League Club, 38 East 37th Street, at 11:30 am. All are welcome.