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Frank Russell, 78, teacher, longtime lifeguard
February 12, 2006
It was the surf and the sand, the fresh air and the camaraderie of friends that
kept Frank Russell at the beach. A lifeguard for more than 50 years, he kept
swimming up until his illness forced him to stop. Russell, of Bellmore, died
Feb. 3 of liver cancer. He was 78.
"Our life has always been about the beach," said his son David Russell, also an
ocean lifeguard. "Even after heart bypass surgery, he requalified for beach
duty. He even competed [in tournaments] after that."
He has a special status as a USLA (U.S. Lifesaving
Association) Life Member
Over the years, USLA has conferred Life Memberships on a very
limited number of persons who have made extraordinary contributions. The minimum
criteria for Life Membership includes twenty years of service in open water
lifesaving, ten years active service and membership in USLA, service as a member
of the Board of Directors or an elected national officer, and a significant
contribution to the humanitarian goals and objectives of USLA. The following are
USLA's Life Members:
Russell was raised in Hempstead and Mineola, and after graduating from
Mineola High School, he enlisted with his twin brother, George, in the Navy in
February 1945, serving as a radar specialist in Hawaii.
He married Barbara Albert, settling in Northport to raise a family. A strong,
athletic man, Russell earned his bachelor's degree from Springfield College and
was a wrestling coach at Columbia University and New York University in the late
1950s. Although he loved his job, he left to teach earth science in Smithtown,
Plainview and Bellmore-Merrick junior high schools once his family began to
grow.
But while he enjoyed his teaching profession, said his family and friends,
lifeguarding was his passion.
"If you had to identify him in what he loved to do, it would be lifeguarding,"
said his lifelong friend and fellow lifeguard, Al McGill.
"He was very interested in the physical world, but had an intellectual side as
well," he said. "It may seem like a contradiction, that someone who was so
physical knew so much about politics, art and music."
McGill recalled a time, years ago, when the two were in a rowboat in the ocean
and a baby beluga whale, who had been spotted off Jones Beach that summer a few
times, came up against their dory.
Russel eased himself into the water next to the whale and urged McGill to join
him.
"It was one of the biggest thrills of my lifetime," McGill said, "to feel the
underside skin of that whale."
Russell and his wife, separated, and he met his companion of more than 20 years,
Jane Hunte. The two melded their now-adult children to form a family of six: his
son, David of Brooklyn, and daughters Debbie Russell of Boston, and Laura Sams
of Harleyville, Pa.; and stepchildren Steven of Yorktown, Va., Linda of Spring,
Texas, and Robert Hunte of Newport, R.I. Russell and Hunte lived in Bellmore.
Steven Hunte said the children blended easily, because his late father was also
a lifeguard, and Russell was a gentle and loving companion to his mother.
"I have memories of he and my mom walking on the beach, holding hands. He was a
big, strong man and a gentle, caring person. He's the type of guy who was the
real deal. The type that other men looked up to and aspired to be."
Russell was also a strong rower, and this summer, family and friends will donate
a lifeguard boat bearing his name to Jones Beach. David Russell said his father
was body-surfing in his 70s.
Russell's 50 years on the lifeguard stands of Long Island's ocean beaches gave
him the opportunity to mentor others, said his son.
"He was a father figure to countless numbers of lifeguards through the
generations," said his son, David Russell.
Russell is also survived by his sister, Alice Clark of Smithtown; and brothers
Robert of Madison, Wis., and Charlie of Huntington.
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