Russ grew up here in Mission, Kansas. He has been married to his wife, Julie, for 42 years. Russ and Julie have one son, Richard, who is a doctor of physical therapy. Rich got married last year, so they added daughter-in-law Bekah to their family. Russ and Julie had the pleasure of having a Rotary Youth Exchange student from 2009-2010, and they consider Bastian their son too. They have always had a houseful of various pets, always two or three dogs, and currently have a yellow lab named Kimber, a miniature schnauzer named Emmie, and an aquarium full of tropical fish.
Russ is a veterinarian and owned Mission Animal Clinic for 32 years. He retired in 2016 due to a major flare of pulmonary fibrosis which he has battled for 8 years. He is a bit limited due to health now, but has enjoyed fishing, hiking, and sport shooting as well as model railroading and photography. Russ's favorite place for vacation is Rocky Mountain National Park. His favorite book/movie is To Kill a Mockingbird and he also enjoys any John Wayne or Jimmy Stewart movies. His favorite type of food is barbecue. Russ's super power of choice would be the ability to heal people of their illnesses. He enjoyed the opportunity to help animals for 38 years!
Russ has a passion for Rotary and, especially, for The Rotary Foundation which was developed through the influence of outstanding Rotarians: Fred Krebs and Dr. John Hollyman and later urged on by the dedication of Jim Mattes. He considers them to be his Rotary mentors and he hopes to help all club members to find the passion to support the Foundation.
Thank you for everything you do Russ!