VA HR207

William Bruce Rutherford, USN, Ret., a Nelson County, Virginia resident and veteran, died on July 21, 2025, and is honored by the House of Delegates through this memorial resolution

Served 20 years in the military, joining the Marine Corps at age 17 before transitioning to the Navy, where he served on five submarines including the USS Seawolf, one of the Navy's first nuclear submarines

Earned the distinction of being the first person to hatch a chicken aboard a U.S. Naval submarine and cared for the Marine Corps' bulldog mascot while stationed at Quantico

Acquired land in Nelson County in 1962 and developed "The Wonder If Farm" into a functioning pig farm by the late 1970s; remained active in retirement building houses and running a family barbecue stand

Active member of Calvary Baptist Church and the American Legion; survived by his wife Dorothy and four children