You might not know the name Mark Rudd, but if you were following the presidential election at all in 2008, you probably heard about someone he use to “pal around” with — Bill Ayers.

Rudd, a part of the radical group the Weather Underground, wrote a book and is on a book tour, which includes stops in Albuquerque and Santa Fe today. Rudd also held a book signing in Albuquerque last night.

According to Rudd’s bio, he was “wanted on federal charges of bombing and conspiracy” and “was a fugitive from 1970 to 1977. All of the charges were dropped because of government illegalities.”

What many may not know is that Rudd taught math at a local community college, the Albuquerque Technical Vocational Institute (which then turned into Central New Mexico Community College, or CNM), from 1980 to 2006.

Rudd wrote a book called “Underground: My Life with SDS and the Weathermen” and will appear in New Mexico cities throughout the next couple of weeks promoting the book.

Today at noon, Rudd will be in Albuquerque, for a reading and booksigning at the CNM bookstore at 901 University. Then he will head up I-25 to Santa Fe at the El Museo Cultural, 1615 Paseo de Peralta, for a reading and booksigning and a screening of a documentary on the Weather Underground. The reading in Santa Fe begins at 5:30 p.m. and the screening begins at 7 p.m.

When I learned that Rudd lived in Albuquerque, I was always amazed that no one could get in touch with him to ask what he thought about Ayers becoming a part of a presidential election in 2008, decades after the Weather Underground disbanded and the members reintegrated in society.

Perhaps someone will ask him at one of these events.