Robert RUSSELL

RUSSELL, Robert Lowell Robert Lowell Russell, 77, died Monday, April 3 following a long illness. He is survived by his wife of 18 years, Anna Allen, his sons, Robert L Russell, Jr. and his wife, Sarah, and his son, Dylan Russell and his wife, Skye, and four grandchildren, Alex, Ian, Trevor and Sophia. He also leaves two brothers, Bill Russell and his wife, Marilee, and Ricky Russell and his wife, Sue, as well as many friends. Born in Ada Oklahoma, Bob, as he preferred to be called, spent most of his boyhood in Commerce, Texas, the son of C.H. and Katherine Russell. As an adult, he was a devoted Austinite. After a brief stint in the US Air Force, Bob attended East Texas University and Texas Technological College. He was awarded a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship in 1963 and earned his doctorate in English Language and Literature from the University of North Carolina in 1968. He accepted an appointment at the University of Texas at Austin where students honored him with a Teacher of Year Award. Bob sought to awaken a love of reading and an appreciation for world literature in his students. Despite other full-time positions after leaving UT, he continued to teach as a part-time faculty member at Austin Community College, where he served as President of the Part Time Faculty and successfully worked to increase benefits for part-time faculty. He served as an adjunct faculty member at St. Edward's University for many years even after his retirement from the City of Austin's Environmental Department in 2003. Bob joined with others to protect the natural environment of Austin as a member of the Zilker Park Posse, Save Our Springs, and the Town Lake Park Alliance, which was instrumental in saving Auditorium Shores. A lifelong Democrat and activist, Bob cared deeply about social justice, which led to meeting his wife, Anna, at a precinct gathering where they were both Jesse Jackson delegates in 1988. An informal memorial service for Bob will be held Tuesday, May 9 from 4:30-6:00 at Scholz Garten.