Dr. Carmine Paul Russo

DR. CARMINE PAUL RUSSO
ITHACA - Dr. Carmine Paul Russo, 94, of Ithaca, died peacefully on Monday, April 6, 2009, at Bridges Cornell Heights. He was born in New York City in 1914, the son of Ciro and Maria Grazia Russo. He was a 1938 graduate of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University and did residency training in Urology at Queens General Hospital and the Long Island College Hospital. During World War Dr. Russo was a Major in the United States Army and served 4 years as third-in-command of a three-thousand bed military hospital in Coventry, England for which he received the Bronze Star.
On his return to the United States Dr. Russo established the first urologic practice in Ithaca, New York, in 1947. At that time, most major urology operations were done by general surgeons. Dr. Russo brought innovative surgical and clinical techniques and procedures to upstate New York, and was a modernizing force behind the development of Tompkins County Hospital, the current Cayuga Medical Center at Ithaca. He retired from clinical practice in 2004, a difficult year in which he lost his wife, our mother, Rose Russo, to cancer after 62 years of marriage.
Keeping current with his specialty was extremely important to our father, and he was an avid and committed reader of the literature in his and other medical specialties. He was knowledgeable and thoughtful about the contemporary problems in urology and urologic oncology. Important as well was his commitment to art, literature and the humanities. Dr. Russo was a master of the mid-court, two-handed basketball shot, a joy to many of his teammates.
His career spanned most of the twentieth century, from the discovery of antibiotics to the cloning of the human genome. He served on the staff of the Cayuga Medical for over a half-century. His gentle healing and his generous spirit touched several generations of Ithacans. His medical expertise and his academic excellence never overshadowed his humility. C. Paul Russo was a loving and dedicated parent to his children, and a devoted spouse to our mother. For this, especially, we will always be grateful.
Predeceased by his wife Rose, Dr. Russo is survived by his children, Linda Russo and Carlos Castellanos, Nancy Wilson and Bruce Wilson, Dr. Paul Russo and Dr. Mary Sue Brady. His surviving grandchildren are Philip J. Blair, III and wife, Dr. Jennifer Bodnick, and Grace, Mary Rose and Paul Russo. He also has a great-granddaughter, Alexandra Rose Blair. Dr. Russo is also survived by his brother, Dr. Vincent Russo; and sister, Rose Taft and their families, as well as his sister-in-law, Mrs. Adelaide Rachun of Ithaca and her family; and brothers-in-law, Dr. John Russo, Dr. Francis Russo and their families.
Friends and family may call from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 14, 2009, at the Bangs Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Bridges Nursing Scholarship Fund, care of Elizabeth Classen Ambrose, Bridges at Cornell Heights, 407 Wyckoff Ave., Ithaca, NY 14850.