Introduction by Paul K. Merrill
On January 15, 1999 I attended the funeral services for Robert Lee Russell in Mustang, Oklahoma and afterward visited with his wife Kris and his children. I shared several stories with his children about this good man’s youth, and they asked if I would record the stories for them. I said that I would but never sat down and put pen to paper. I have been feeling guilty for not living up to my promise. Recently I decided that I would write down my memories and then present them in a website in such a way that other friends could add their memories as well. This website is the result. If you are a friend of “John” Russell from the early years, please write your special memories of John that you would like to share with his children and put them in an e-mail and send them to me. I’ll add them to the "Special Memories" page of this website for his children to read. My e-mail address at the top of the special memories page has been setup just for receiving your special memories and is [email protected].
As you read these memories you will discover that I focus on a small group of friends from junior high school through high school and beyond. There were lots of other friends that influenced our lives during this life experience. Time and space will not allow writing about every one of John’s friends. Since these historical notes are primarily written for the Russell children, I have attempted to keep my narrative centered on those friends and events that influenced John Russell’s early life of which I am aware and I have tried to help his children discover what happened to that small group of friends over time.
Since one of the friends I talk about is “Bob” Kortum, I have chosen to call the focus person of this narrative “John” to avoid confusion. When I refer to “Johnny” or “Bobby” I am using the name that appeared in the year book for the period of time that I am covering. Most of the friends of Robert Lee Russell knew him by the name “John” in junior high school and high school and they will be more comfortable adding to this narrative using the name they were familiar with.
On January 15, 1999 I attended the funeral services for Robert Lee Russell in Mustang, Oklahoma and afterward visited with his wife Kris and his children. I shared several stories with his children about this good man’s youth, and they asked if I would record the stories for them. I said that I would but never sat down and put pen to paper. I have been feeling guilty for not living up to my promise. Recently I decided that I would write down my memories and then present them in a website in such a way that other friends could add their memories as well. This website is the result. If you are a friend of “John” Russell from the early years, please write your special memories of John that you would like to share with his children and put them in an e-mail and send them to me. I’ll add them to the "Special Memories" page of this website for his children to read. My e-mail address at the top of the special memories page has been setup just for receiving your special memories and is [email protected].
As you read these memories you will discover that I focus on a small group of friends from junior high school through high school and beyond. There were lots of other friends that influenced our lives during this life experience. Time and space will not allow writing about every one of John’s friends. Since these historical notes are primarily written for the Russell children, I have attempted to keep my narrative centered on those friends and events that influenced John Russell’s early life of which I am aware and I have tried to help his children discover what happened to that small group of friends over time.
Since one of the friends I talk about is “Bob” Kortum, I have chosen to call the focus person of this narrative “John” to avoid confusion. When I refer to “Johnny” or “Bobby” I am using the name that appeared in the year book for the period of time that I am covering. Most of the friends of Robert Lee Russell knew him by the name “John” in junior high school and high school and they will be more comfortable adding to this narrative using the name they were familiar with.