The Rutleges, both retired educators and Florida A&M University alumni, appeared on “Couples Cafe” with “Let’s Talk About It with the Turners” and shared highlights of their 48-year marriage and the principles that have sustained it.
The couple met at FAMU, where Mrs. Rutleges was in her junior year and Mr. Rutleges was a year behind. After graduation, they briefly went separate ways, She returned to Bradenton, Florida, to work for the state, while he pursued graduate studies at Tuskegee University, partly to avoid early commitment. They reconnected years later when she, now a born-again Christian, visited Plant City, Florida, and stopped by his family home. Communication resumed, he independently accepted Christ, and the two married on Dec. 17, 1977.
They have five children, seven grandchildren, and credit their faith as the cornerstone of their relationship. The Rutleges moved to Georgia without nearby family support, forcing them to rely on each other and build community through church involvement…