[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 46 (Tuesday, March 23, 2010)]
[Senate]
[Page S1870]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                       REMEMBERING DONALD RUSSELL

 Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I wish to pay tribute to the 
extraordinary life and service of Donald Russell, a longtime columnist 
for the Advocate newspaper in Stamford, CT. Don was a true American 
patriot and a valued public intellectual in the Stamford community. 
Beloved for his brilliant mind and big heart, Don Russell will be 
missed deeply.
  I knew Don Russell for many years, and I am grateful for all of the 
wisdom he has offered me personally. Mostly though, I treasure the 
example he set in his career of devoted service. During the Second 
World War, Don served this country with courage and distinction as a 
navigator with the U.S. Army Air Corps. He went on to help pioneer the 
field of television news, beginning with the DuMont Television Network, 
one of the first ever commercial television networks in the world.
  With insight, wit, and passion, Don Russell captured some of the most 
important moments of the 20th century as a journalist. Over a half a 
century ago, Don anchored the first coast-to-coast television broadcast 
of a Presidential inauguration when President Dwight Eisenhower took 
office and later won an award for his credible and well-balanced 
commentary during the controversial Army-McCarthy hearings in 1954. 
Although Don Russell was quickly recognized for his journalistic skill 
on the national stage--working closely with stars like Jackie Gleason 
and Merv Griffin--his heart remained with the hometown that I am proud 
to share with him: Stamford, CT.
  For decades, Don Russell illuminated the hearts and minds on the 
radio and in his weekly columns for the Advocate. Don never hesitated 
to ask tough questions or take a contrarian stance on an issue. For 
this, he was respected and trusted by countless readers; many of whom 
he knew personally and others who admired him from afar. Don wrote 
about many of the most important issues facing our country and our 
world but also uniquely brought to life the challenges and 
opportunities facing Stamford, a city he understood and cherished like 
few others.
  Don Russell never missed a deadline and continued writing until the 
end of his long and extraordinary life. We, his readers, were blessed 
with the opportunity to have learned from Don Russell, and I believe 
more broadly that our state and this nation are blessed to have people 
like Don Russell who truly enrich our communities. Don Russell's 
brilliant mind, generous spirit, and warm smile will never fade from 
our memory.

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