History museum celebrates work of late Tarentum artist Rudy Tutka

A late Tarentum artist whose work added flair to the pages of the Valley Daily News in the mid-1900s and later the Valley News Dispatch will be celebrated with an exhibit of his work.

Illustrations by Rudy Tutka, who grew up in a home along Ross Street and worked as a graphic designer for the newspaper from the late 1940s to 1988, will be on display beginning Wednesday at the Allegheny-Kiski Valley Historical Society Heritage Museum.

Previews will run from noon to 3 p.m. Wednesdays and Saturdays, during which people are invited to stop by and record their memories of Tutka. Those recordings will be included in the official exhibit opening at 2 p.m. Sept. 25.

The museum is at 224 E. Seventh Ave. in Tarentum.

“We love to give recognition to a local guy,” said Jim Thomas, museum board president. “He has such an extensive collection, and his work should be celebrated.”

Tutka began working for the Valley Daily News in the 1940s when news artwork was nothing more than etched drawings on metal plates that were used to print the papers, Thomas said.

He served as the photo­engraving manager for many years and then advanced to lithography when the paper switched technologies.

The newspaper changed its name to the Valley News Dispatch when it merged with the Tri-Cities-oriented Daily Dispatch on Nov. 1, 1971.

Growing up in Tarentum, Tutka delivered groceries for his family-owned market. He played guard for three years for the Tarentum High School Red Cats, and, as a first-generation American proud of his Slovak heritage, Tutka was a competitive member of the Sokol Gymnastics Union.

After serving in the Navy, Tutka returned home and graduated from the School of Display Art, now the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, in Shadyside.

For much of his tenure, Tutka illustrated ads and later created drawings for the cover of the weekly TV directory that depicted a rotating slate of popular show business celebrities.

Marie Thomas, a 40-year member of the history museum, said Tutka is a great example of an Alle-Kiski Valley native whose talents had a far reach.

His story also shines a light on changes that were ushered in during the last century, Thomas said.

“Tutka was known for being a meticulous artist, a perfectionist and a great craftsman in a time before the use of computers, clip art and Photoshop,” Thomas said.

“I remember him sitting in the back of the newsroom, on a high stool, working at an elevated drawing board,” said Rick Monti, former top editor and later general manager of the Trib’s Valley News Dispatch.

“I don’t think anyone really appreciated what Rudy did back then,” said Monti, of Harrison. “Having an in-house artist working at a newspaper that size was unusual.”