The January 8th Memorial
Ken Dorushka - Survivor
Symbols by artist Rebeca Méndez
Ichthys Sign
A ruling elder of the Presbyterian Church
Ken is a religious man, a ruling elder at the Northminister Presbyterian Church in Tucson, ordained for life. He has been active in finding housing for refugees, served in soup kitchens and has taught Sunday School. The church is an anchor in his life, always present and welcoming, even while moving all over the country.
Monsoon
Loves the waterfalls caused by the annual monsoon rains
Ken was a globetrotting business executive who retired early and moved to Tucson, where he designed a house to his own exacting details. He loves the serenity of the Sonoran desert sunsets and the waterfalls that form after a late summer monsoon rain.
Maine coon cats
Met wife Carol in 1965 / Committed / Love their cats
Ken’s wife Carol is an animal rehabilitator, or an “animal whisperer” as Ken calls her, welcoming temporary recuperating guests such as hawks, bobcats and opossums to their home. Together since they met in high school in 1965, and with two daughters and seven grandchildren, the animal lovers shared their house with two cats of the gentle giant Maine Coon breed. Ken even designed a secured outdoor courtyard so they could be safely outdoors.
Circuit Board
Communications technology engineer / Helped design circuitry and protocols of the internet
Trained as a communications technology engineer, and in 1974 received his MS in Digital Computer Design, Ken was there right after the birth of the Internet. At AT&T Bell Labs he was involved with designing the circuitry and protocols that would eventually run the worldwide digital communications system.
Baseball
Was a semi-professional baseball player
In his youth Ken was a semi-professional baseball player, an athlete. When the shooting started, Ken ran to his wife and pushed her to the pavement, using his arms and body as a shield. A bullet heading to this wife’s head was stopped by his right arm. He is no longer able to play his treasured game of golf.
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