The team here at Visit Fairfax was saddened to learn of the passing of two good friends in the meetings and reunions space: Dr. Ione Vargus, 95, the country’s leading authority on African American family reunions and the founder of the National Family Reunion Institute, which we still work with today; and Jake Ruser, 101, a veteran of the U.S. Army who fought in the Battle of the Bulge and was an honored guest at a special exhibit at the National Museum of the U.S. Army.
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Dr. Ione Vargus of Norristown, PA passed away at the age of 95 on December 20, 2025. A former Dean at Temple University in Philadelphia, Dr. Vargus was the country’s leading authority on African American family reunions and had traveled to Fairfax County on four occasions over the years to speak at our annual Family Reunion Workshop. She mentioned the experience of speaking here in her 2020 book, Black Family Reunions: Finding the Rest of Me. Visit Fairfax continues to work with the National Family Reunion Institute, which Dr. Vargus founded, to attract family reunion groups to Fairfax County.
Jacob “Jake” Ruser of Philadelphia, PA was a decorated Army veteran who (at the age of 19) came ashore with the 4th Infantry Division on D-Day at Utah Beach in Normandy, France. He later fought in The Battle of The Bulge. Jake passed away on January 13, at the age of 101. He was our honored guest in April of 2024 for the opening of a special exhibit commemorating the 80th Anniversary of D-Day at the National Museum of the United States Army. On June 6, 2024, he was interviewed on national television by David Muir of ABC News about his experiences in World War II.
