Marian Kamins Russell (1921-2015)

Marian Kamins Russell, former teacher and English Department head of Shorecrest, passed away on February 1, 2015, in San Carlos, CA, at age 93. 

 

Marian was an honors English literature teacher, a diplomat's wife and a docent at Stanford University's art museum in Palo Alto, CA. Marian and her husband Seymour were posted to diplomatic assignments in Trieste and Rome, Italy; Athens, Greece and Karachi, Pakistan. In addition to her diplomatic role, Marian taught English at international schools in Rome and Karachi, at JEB Stuart High School in Falls Church, VA, and at Shorecrest Preparatory School in St. Petersburg, Florida, where she chaired the English Department, presided over the school newspaper and literary magazine and taught advanced placement courses.

Marian is remembered by her children and former students as a gifted and inspirational teacher who introduced them to poetry, took them to plays and museums, and led them into lifelong appreciation of literature and the arts.

 

Born August 6, 1921, in Hartford, Connecticut, Marian graduated from the University of Connecticut in Storrs, CT, and married Seymour Russell in 1941. He was sent to postwar Italy, launching a lifelong interest and love by both for all things Italian. For the subsequent twenty years, the family lived all over the world, frequently changing schools and cultures. Marian adeptly created warm and comfortable homes for the family in each new post, insisting that wherever the family was together, was “home.” 

 

Following years living abroad, Marian returned to college in 1972, receiving a Masters in American Literature from The American University in Washington, DC, an accomplishment which made Marian and all of her children immensely proud. In 1973, Marian and Seymour moved to St. Petersburg, Florida, after he retired from government.

 

Marian wrote about her life's adventures as a "Company Wife" in a book entitled Sempre Noi ("always us" in Italian). She was a world traveler who spoke Italian, Greek and French; a gourmet chef and an avid bridge player. In her book, she acknowledged that her husband, "Russ" had worked as a Foreign Service Officer, but was in reality a senior intelligence officer for the Central Intelligence Agency, known by those on the inside as The Company.

 

"Did we actually do all of those things? Did we really drag our kids all over the world, to all those faraway places? Did we pack up and move, every few years, like gypsies, setting up housekeeping in places with crazy electrical systems and unreliable plumbing? Putting our children in so many different schools that each of them had a transcript several pages long? Did we truly spend all of those years serving the Company? We did, and we loved it. We do not regret a minute of it. Are we satisfied that what we did has helped our country and contributed to its greatness? Definitely."

 

A private ceremony will be held for immediate family.