Nancy N Russell

Nancy Russell entered the national spotlight in the 1980s when she led a campaign to protect the Columbia River Gorge—a campaign that resulted in the passage of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area Act. The middle of three children, Nancy was born in 1932 in Portland, Oregon. Her parents, Robert and Mary Ann Neighbor, fell on hard times during the Depression. A strong student as well as an athlete, Russell won a scholarship to Catlin School in Portland and also to Scripps College in Claremont, California. After marrying Bruce Russell, whom she had known since childhood, Nancy gave birth to five children. The third child died before the age of two. Their surviving four children—Sally, Wendy, Aubrey, and Alison—developed a range of creative, professional, and civic interests. Her husband Bruce, who died in 2004, worked as a salesman for Merrill Lynch before starting his own investment management business. Nancy’s physical and emotional strength were compromised after she developed symptoms associated with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease).