|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Gordon W. Russell, an entrepreneur and Portola Valley resident whose philanthropy assisted countless people across the Peninsula and the country, passed away on Nov. 25, 2023, after a short illness. He was 89.
Russell, the son of Anne and Leonard Russell, was born on May 16, 1933, and raised in Arlington, Massachusetts. He majored in history and played hockey at Dartmouth College, where he was a member of Casque and Gauntlet, Phi Gamma Delta, Newman Club and AFROTC. Before starting his entrepreneurial career, he worked in the electronics division of the Air Force.
For over two decades, he served as a general partner at Sand Hill Road-based Sequoia Capital, holding various executive roles in the biomedical and health care sectors.
Russell was a board member and advisory council member for the Ravenswood Family Health Center in East Palo Alto, which assists locals with access to health care. Russell was part of the organization since its inception in 2002, where most patients are low-income or from minority backgrounds.
“It basically comes down to his mother, who always said, ‘They need it. You have it,’” said Tina McAdoo, his widow, about where his passion to give back came from.
That effort to give back also led to the Portola Valley resident receiving a “Lifetime of Achievement” award for his contributions to the community by the nonprofit Palo Alto-based Avenidas, which serves older adults of the Midpeninsula and their families.
“He just decided after 20 years of accumulating wealth in the venture business, he didn’t feel he needed any more money, so what he wanted to do with his time is serve,” McAdoo added.
He also supported his alma mater, Dartmouth College, with significant donations. These included endowments to the Native American Program, an athletic excellence fund, the Dartmouth Center for the Advancement of Learning and an academic chair at the medical school.
His dedication to Dartmouth extended to serving as chair of the Board of Overseers for 10 years, and he also contributed as a member of the Native American Visiting Committee. In recognition of his numerous contributions, Dartmouth awarded him an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.
McAdoo also reflected on Russell being a good listener who gave thoughtful feedback without interrupting.
An avid reader who got his love of literature from his mother, Anne. Gordon created the Anne A. Russell Trust Fund in her honor to support special services and programs for children at a library in his hometown of Arlington.
Showcasing his love for books and family, he would read “A Child’s Christmas in Wales” to his sons every Christmas, which was a tradition passed down from his mother. Other books that Gordon often returned to were “Paddle-to-the-Sea” by Holling C. Holling and “Treasure Island” by Robert Louis Stevenson.
“It’s not just that he cared about others; it’s that he was someone who noticed,” McAdoo said when asked how Gordon would have liked to be remembered. “’And what is the need for an individual? Or an organization?’ And he would contribute to meeting that need, whether it was emotional support or financial assistance.”
Gordon’s family said that he lived a full and happy life, evidenced by the memories he left his family with.
“When I ask myself if I have helped make life better for one person that day and the answer is yes, then I have done what my mother would have wanted me to do,” McAdoo quoted him as saying in his obituary.
He is survived by his wife Tina; his son, Justin Russell; his stepsons, Gregor and Patrick Robertson; and Miles and Anders Pedersen and their families; and his sisters Elizabeth Bilafer and Claire Murphy and their families, according to his obituary.
In lieu of flowers, his family asks to donate to the Ravenswood Family Health Network and the Hawaii Community Foundation.
Gordie was a prince and did so much for our community. Quite honestly, there’s not enough space to list his accomplishments or contributions to our community. Those who know, know… and that’s enough.
A life well lived. Rest in peace, Gordie.