Russ (and brother Richard) along with Jim Nordstrom and me, were inseparable playmates through all of junior high school and much of high school. "Playing" with Russ (a.k.a. Sam) consisted of wrestling, boxing (sometimes with gloves and sometimes without), diving off high towers, bridges or whatever dare devil activity he would find. I remember one day Sam saying, "Jim, you're going to love this! Bend over and take 10 deep breaths!" I did as instructed (better than boxing without gloves) and when I stood back up, Sam reached around my chest from behind and squeezed as hard as he could until I lost total consciousness and collapsed to the ground. Upon regaining consciousness, Sam enthusiastically said, "OK, its your turn to do it to me!" And, I did. Then there was his jumping out of cars phase. We would drive along Windermere Road and Sam would sit in the passenger seat looking for a patch of lawn to land on. We would start this exercise at 5 MPH, but, in no time he (NOT me) was jumping out of the car at 35 MPH !! For those of you whose memories of Russ are primarily from our high school days, most of what I have written would not surprise you. What you may not know about Russ is in the second half of his life he became a very accomplished artist. Russ also became a devotee to certain spiritual teachings in which he developed mastery and later became an elder teacher. It was inspiring at his Celebration of Life event to hear from the many people whose lives had been touched deeply by Russ. Russ lived his life with great adventure and zeal to his last breath. His final words to me and his beloved wife, Yvonne, were, "My bags are packed and I am ready to go."

I remember Russ from Fulton’s art classes where he usually could be found seated in the front left side of class, and it was only when other students went over to his desk that they would see the beautiful drawings and paintings he created. He didn’t waste time visiting like the rest of us – instead was always completely focused on his current project. I was initially stunned to see someone my own age creating such mature work with such high quality, and as a result, found myself challenged and inspired to explore my own possibilities more deeply. He never knew he’d been the source of a turning point in my life (I ended up with a career as an artist and high school art teacher), and I suspect he inspired many other students in much the same way.

I first remember Sam, Russ or Rusty [take your pick] in Jr High. We were in shop when Russ got into a duel with another kid with torches. I don't know who won but Russ lost a good sweater. Another time Leroy Schenk and I had just got out of the Marine Corp when we ran into Russ and one of his army buddies. Russ was driving his Jag sedan and suggested we go downtown to the Kings? tavern for a few schooners or was that pitchers? We never quite made it back to the U-District that night. It couldn't have been the beer so it must of been those terrible Lucus headlights in the Jag. Coming off the University bridge missed the turn,jumped the curb and hit a utility box. Never trust those Lucus lights! Years later when Russ returned from the east coast he came out to see me to talk cars. He then moved to Index and called a few times. Now I wish I had seen more of him.