Justin Mass of Ashburn, like the rest of America, is mourning the passing of long-time “Meet the Press” host, Tim Russert.

“I always looked forward to his show,” said Mass, 31, who attended graduate school at University at Buffalo, in Russert’s hometown. “He’s one of those special guys who you really don’t appreciate until he’s gone.”

Mass, a huge hip-hop fan whose blog is called Daily Operation, decided to honor Russert in the way that the hip-hop community memorializes fallen musicians.

“When an artist passes prematurely in hip-hop, it’s usually just a few days before someone designs a tribute T-shirt,” he explained.

Mass had never designed a T-shirt before. By day, he works at a Reston law firm. But after hearing of Russert’s death and watching the news coverage until midnight on Friday, he felt inspired to honor the man.

The tribute Tees cost $20 each, and all profits will be donated in Russert’s memory to an organization that the broadcaster was actively involved with: The Boys and Girls Club of D.C.

Mass linked his T-shirt design on a Russert Facebook page yesterday, and by this morning, he said he had already received 20 orders.

“At first, I just told people to send me a check when ordering,” he said. “Today, I set up a Pay-Pal account to meet the demand.”

To order one, click here.

A mock-up of the Tim Russert tribute T-shirt (Design by Justin Mass)