Robert S. Russell ’57

Body

Bob died of cancer May 3, 2008. He came to Princeton from the Peddie School, where he starred in track. He spent only one semester at Princeton, living in South Edwards. He left in February 1954.

Bob enlisted in the Air Force and retired as a lieutenant colonel after 23 years due to a heart attack. While in the Air Force, he received a liberal arts degree from SUNY Plattsburgh, in 1972. He did not maintain any contact with Princeton.

In 1982, Bob obtained a degree in optometry from Ohio State and started a practice in California in 1984.  

Bob was married to Barbara for 35 years until his death. Prior to that he was married to his first wife, Judith.  

No responses yet

Join the conversation

Plain text

Full name and Princeton affiliation (if applicable) are required for all published comments. For more information, view our commenting policy. Responses are limited to 500 words for online and 250 words for print consideration.

Paw in print

Image
The cover of PAW’s November 2025 issue, featuring a photo of a space probe and the headline "Made in Princeton."
The Latest Issue

November 2025

NASA’s new IMAP mission, London’s big data detective, AI challenges in the classroom.