Edward Russell

Edward Russell Jr., a resident of Charleston since 1989, died at home on January 18, days after celebrating his 98th birthday. Though he spent most of his working life in New York City, he was born in Centerville, Tennessee, and graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1936. He joined the Navy in September 1941 and spent most of the war as the commanding officer of PC 588, part of a fleet that patrolled the South Pacific.

In 1943 his ship was stationed in Hawaii where he met Louise (Carpy) Carpenter, who was serving as the shift captain for the Women's Air Raid Defense at Fort Shafter. During their courtship, she was living at Shada Pflueger's house where they were married in November 1944 at what one of his friends reported in a memoir was one of "the biggest and most colorful weddings" in Honolulu. According to family lore, Carpy had become very fond of the many parties held by Mr. and Mrs. Pflueger, and her decision to marry Eduardo was due in no small part to a friend's prediction that if she married Ed Russell, she might never be rich, but she would certainly enjoy countless fun parties for the rest of her life; not only was he one of the best dance partners around, he always seemed to know everyone and was invited everywhere.

Though the banks of the Susquehanna and the fields of Connecticut were considerably less romantic than Hawaii, the couple settled happily outside of New York City, where Mr. Russell began working for a Southern textile manufacturer, honing his skills in marketing and distribution and eventually solidifying his connection to the world of high fashion and international design during a two-year stint as president of I. Miller shoes. It was during his twenty years as vice president of marketing services at Champion International, however, that Mr. Russell distinguished himself.

In 1961, he was hired to promote the company among art directors and graphic designers and provide its merchants with an effective marketing tool. He chose to associate the company with the top graphic designers and carefully selected an advertising agency that could enlist their talents. Working closely with the agency, he oversaw the production of the first promotional booklet entitled "Imagination." This production proved so successful, that it was followed by other, more sophisticated, versions the following year. Though what became known as the "Imagination Series" continued to evolve over twenty years, its most impressive editions involved a close collaborative effort of the Art Director James Miho and Mr. Russell. Among the many productive connections forged during this series, was a close alliance with the Whitney Museum; this alliance progressed from the corporate sponsorship of exhibitions devoted to Alexander Calder and Homer Winslow to the opening of a branch of the museum on the ground floor of the new headquarters of Champion International in Stamford, Connecticut, after the company's merger with US Plywood.

What had begun as a vehicle to intrigue graphic artists with paper produced by a $250 million dollar company based in Ohio evolved into the means to distinguish a $6 billion dollar corporation. As the Imagination Series began to win awards and the international recognition became the subject of magazine articles, it was agreed that the enormous style and class Mr. Russell had brought to the project, the perfection he had insisted upon and inspired, were key to its success. Though there was general agreement that Mr. Russell was not an easy man to work with, it was also agreed that a more accommodating man might not have been able to defend the project in the face of corporate budget pressure and might have compromised its success somewhere along the line. The American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) honored Mr. Russell with a retrospective of his achievement upon his retirement.

In his personal as well as professional life, Mr. Russell had the genius to partner with gifted fence-menders. He remained remarkably stylish throughout his life and used his talent to sell art in order to raise money for his local church in Southampton and various non-profit organizations with which his wife and friends were associated. He was an extraordinarily generous and supportive friend, who felt deeply indebted to the many people who had helped him when he was young. Though he lacked a light touch when offering what he called "advice or suggestions," he took enormous pleasure helping young people with their careers.

For most of their life together, he and his wife enjoyed the social life she had anticipated when they married. Only age-related dementia was able to slow this down. He is survived by his daughter, Lesley Russell of Charleston. He was predeceased by his wife Louise (Carpy) in 2010 and his son Edward (Trippe) Russell III in 1970. He is also survived by his sister-in-law, Laurette Russell of Atlantis, Florida; a niece, Jodi Horton of Tucson, Arizona; a nephew, Jim Russell of Lake Worth, Florida, and their families; and his wife's beloved younger sister, Alice Nicholas and her husband of Lander, Wyoming, and their extensive family.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on January 28th at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to St. Stephen's Church, 67 Anson Street, Charleston or Lutheran Hospice, 1885 Rifle Range Rd, Mt. Pleasant, SC.

Arrangements by J. HENRY STUHR, INC., DOWNTOWN CHAPEL.