Smalley, Russell G. (“Russ”)

Born xxx xx, xxxx
Died Aug 13, 1979

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• From Newsletter October 1979
  
  The Biggest Little Man I Know
  
       Russell Smalley was his name. Prior to Russell's death on 13 Aug 79, he had been a barbershopper for about 5 years. I can remember the first time I met Russ. It was at an ice cream social sponsored by his church. At the time, I was singing with the "Sound Hounds" and we were having a ball. Most of the folks at the gathering, not having anything to compare with, thought we were great. Of course, we knew we weren't the greatest but Russ thought we were. He thought enough of our singing that he became a Barbershopper after a couple visits to our chapter.
  
       Russell was a great asset to out chapter. What he lacked in size, he made up for in dedication and enthusiasm. Russ was a guy that appreciated good things and what he found in Barbershopping must have been great because he always had a smile and a handshake. Russ played some very important roles in our annual shows, the most recent being a policeman in our 1978 show "Court Room Capers". He also played the "Sheik" in our 1977 show, remember the song "Castle on the Nile"? Russ had a ball while adding both color and humor to our presentation.
  
       I could write plenty about Russell's good traits, however, I believe you could sum it up by saying, if he had any bad ones, he certainly never exposed them. I really never knew what kind of work Russ did but I sure knew what he did for fun. He was a great Barbershopper and we'll all miss him!
  
       By Jack Martin