Rusty Ray is founder and editor of Big 3 News

Rusty Ray has been a freelance journalist and broadcaster on social websites since February 2008.

As a teenager, Rusty was strongly influenced by the life and evangelism of his great-uncle,Lewis. For nearly a year and half, he attended rural country churches in Southern Ohio as Lewis preached the message of the Gospel of Christ.

On March 28, 1986, at the age of fifteen, Rusty conquered a six-year addiction by giving up tobacco as the result of a compelling message delivered during a revival and much prayer afterward.

These personal spiritual experiences created within him a life-long awareness of faith and family.

Rusty graduated Cum Laude and holds an Associate of Arts Degree, Concentration in Journalism from an accredited community college in Ohio. He is a member of Phi Theta Kappa, the national honor society for two-year colleges, and is currently pursuing course requirements for a Bachelor’s Degree from Ohio University.

Rusty also graduated from the 12-week Dale Carnegie Leadership Training program.

Rusty’s writing and journalism interests span a twenty-year period. He has worked in print media, served as Editor of his college’s student newspaper, and has written numerous policy and procedure manuals. Rusty developed a keen interest in politics in high school and has been an active registered voter for twenty years.

In 2001, Rusty attended the first Inaugural address of President George W. Bush at the nation’s Capitol. In June 2004, Rusty again became an eyewitness to political history following the death of one of his personal heroes, President Ronald Reagan. Standing in line for nearly six hours, he joined hundreds of thousands of mourners to pay his last respects at President Reagan’s flag-draped coffin in the Capitol Rotunda, Washington, D.C.

These events inspired Rusty to become politically involved on a larger scale.

In the fall of 2004, he signed up to be a volunteer for the Bush/Cheney Re-Election Campaign, and attended campaign rallies in Troy and Cincinnati, Ohio. At the county level, Rusty worked phone banks and helped with distributing yard signs and other campaign literature. All told, he saw Bush or Cheney a total of five times that year.

A highlight of the campaign was helping with a town hall meeting for Vice-President Dick Cheney in Southwest Ohio. Rusty was selected to be one of a handful charged with soliciting questions from supporters in the audience for responses by Cheney. As local & national television and media outlets covered the live event with blinding lights and massive audio equipment, the Vice-President called on Questioner #4 (Rusty) for the next inquiry.

The Veep was known for his direct manner and could sometimes be impatient, which Rusty got a taste of in a three-second verbal jab from Cheney.

“Yes, number four are you loafing? Or have you got somebody over there? (Laughter.)” Cheney went on to take the question selected by Rusty from a military service woman regarding the conditions in Iraq.

Another highlight came on Election eve at a campaign rally for President George W. Bush in Southwest Ohio. Bush was introduced by Curt Schilling, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and 2004 World Series champions. The President and First Lady Laura Bush arrived in a military helicopter at 7:15 a.m., and was accompanied on the stage by Ohio Governor Bob Taft and other state and local dignitaries.

“Come stand with me,” Bush implored the crowd of thousands in a down-to-the-wire “get out the vote” effort. Meanwhile, Rusty had been asked to oversee the national press corp and ensure they didn’t stray from their designated area or get too close to the President and other officials. Fortunately, Secret Service detail had been assigned to the same area, which made Rusty’s assignment virtually flawless.

At the grassroots level, Rusty was the leader of an income tax repeal effort in his hometown and subsequently was elected to a city council seat. He served his community as vice-mayor and as a member and chairman of numerous committees including Finance, Planning, Audit, and Employee Relations. He attended State seminars on Open Government & Sunshine Laws and Utility Management for Water and Wastewater Treatment facilities. Rusty also composed press releases regarding city administration projects and legislative actions.

In 2008, Rusty took a less partisan approach and provided in-depth coverage and analysis of the Democratic and Republican presidential primaries on social broadcasting websites. He attended and videotaped campaign rallies of Senator John McCain at the Ervin J. Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio, and Senator Barack Obama at Dublin High School football field in Dublin, Ohio. Caught on film was McCain’s historic announcement of Gov. Sarah Palin as the Republican Vice-presidential running mate.

Rusty is a Supervisor at a world-class IT company where he has been employed for nearly sixteen years. He has a daughter, Lizzie, and currently resides in Ohio. Family and friends often refer to him as the consummate “News Junkie.”