Saturday, March 25, 2023
By the luck of an alphabetical draw, Russell and I shared a locker together as we tried out for the Kenyon College Freshman Soccer Team in 1971. We became fast friends, fraternity brothers, tennis partners, shooting and fishing bums and watched each other's families grow, Russell was involved in every part of my life since 1971, and has been the most generous and involved Godfather to my son Elliott. We laughed, played cards, boasted, lied about fish we had caught, and shared the occasional tipple and cigar. Russell was always transformational, innovative and the leader of the pack for organizing fishing and shooting trips to exotic locales. He was always my go- to source on all things soccer and tennis. He was my partner in a tennis member-guest, and an older gent ( 75 +) shambled slowly on the court across the net. I whispered to Russell we should be gentle. After a 6-1, 6-1 defeat (a kind opponent did give us a courtesy game) we learned the was the reigning 75 age + world squash champion ! Best match we ever lost !
He lifted my spirits when I was down, got me back onto the right path when I strayed and was always able to get a laugh from his tall tales and stories. I will miss sharing an evening of relaxation with him accompanied by a martini and one of his always astute picks for a fine red wine. Russell is the textbook example of a life well lived, and I will not see his like again. RIP my brother.
