From Staff Report
William "Bill" Russell, who was one-half of Lucerne Valley's pioneering Russell brothers, passed away on November 5, 2016. Born on November 9, 1923, he was 92.
Russell was a Southern California native who served in the Office of Strategic Services behind Japanese lines in Burma during World War II.
"Bill was a war hero," a Russell family friend told the Lucerne Valley Leader earlier this year. "They jumped behind enemy lines."
Russell was educated at Pomona College and at UCLA, where he earned a doctorate in linguistics.
In 1911, Russell's father homesteaded land in what is now the town of Lucerne Valley. There, in the 1950s, he and his late brother John, as Russell Brothers Building Contractors, built the original town center, as well as housing tracts; and his mother, Vera Russell, was the first librarian.
"Bill and John Russell did all the building up here," the neighbor said. "Bill was the brains."
The Russell brothers created a neighborhood that is referred to as "the Russell Tract," which sits south of Old Woman Springs Road.
In 2011, Russell told then Leader editor Kris Reilly that he got 128 people from the Los Angeles area to commit to taking five-acre parcels of land, which they would use as their second homes. Bill's brother John had a hand in building many of the homes. After the community was established, a homeowner’s association was created and the pool was built as an amenity for the neighborhood. Bill Russell couldn’t remember exactly how the facility was funded, but his wife Carolyn believes the money came from the residents themselves.
The new park, which is managed by County Service Area 29, is located at the site of the former Lucerne Springs pool.
William "Bill" Russell is survived by his wife Carolyn, a brother Richard and a sister, Marguerite; two daughters, a grandaughter, and two great-grandchildren.
On Dec. 9, County Service Area 29 will host a family dedication of the new Russell Park, which was named in honor of Bill and John Russell and the entire Russell family.