Walter Rybeck was born in Wheeling, West Virginia in 1920.
After attending West Virginia University for two years, Rybeck joined the army during the Second World War. After WWII ended, Rybeck resumed his studies at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio and became a reporter for the Columbus Citizen after graduating. Later, Rybeck took a job as editor for the Dayton Daily News and it was in Dayton where he met his future wife, Erika Schulhof, for the first time. In the early 1960s, Rybeck started working at Cox Newspapers as the Washington Bureau Chief. Seven years later, in 1967, Rybeck worked with former Senator Paul Douglas investigating into the roots of urban decay. Here, Rybeck held the position of Assistant Director for the National Commission on Urban Problems before he later became the editorial director at the Urban Institute. Rybeck also held position as an assistant to Congressman Henry Reuss (Wisconsin) and Congressman William Coyne (Pennsylvania) before he created his own consultancy The Center for Public Dialog.
Furthermore, Rybeck became really concerned about the communities where he lived. Within Wheeling, Rybeck started to heavily involve himself in nature and folk-dance programs at Oglebay Park. Within Fairmont, Rybeck assisted in the organising of a symphony, suiting his interests as an accomplished pianist. Likewise, in Dayton, Rybeck helped to arrange a natural history museum as well as serve on the Performing Arts Council at Riderwood Village – a retirement community located in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Sadly, Walter Walter Rybeck died from pneumonia on the 3rd May 2016 in Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, Maryland. He was 96. Nevertheless, Rybeck will be remembered for his advocating of economic justice, most notably concerning affordable housing, creating jobs and infrastructure funding. Thus, in his book Re-Solving the Economic Puzzle, Rybeck not only sheds light on what tools are needed to accomplish these objectives but also his over-arching philosophy on the matter and the other significant aspects of his life leading him up to these conclusions.
