Media Gallery: Herman J. Russell (1930-2014), Seeing Georgia: Changing Visions of Tourism in the Modern South. Herman’s company develops, constructs and manages … As one of the largest and oldest African-American and privately-held construction firms in the country, H. J. Russell & Company has been responsible for building some of the most recognizable buildings that define the … Xi Kappa University of Georgia. Russell died in Atlanta on November 15, 2014, at the age of eighty-three. This year marks five years since the passing of H. J. Russell & Company’s founder, Herman J. Russell Sr. as well as the 60th anniversary of H. J. Russell & Company’s incorporation. He hasn’t stopped building since. He was 83. During this period Russell owned several construction and real estate companies, among them H. J. Russell and Company, H. J. Russell Construction Company, H. J. Russell Plastering Company, Paradise Management Inc., DDR International, and Southeast Land Development Company. Three years later he married Otelia Hackney, a native of Union Point in. Russell's other interests are in airport concessions. "Herman J. Russell (1930-2014)." Launching in 2019, honoring the great legacy and visionary business leadership of Preston Edwards - Founder of Black Collegiate Magazine Bro. Continues to support education, various social service and civil rights organizations. One of the most produced playwrights in the United States, Lauren Gunderson's oeuvre includes plays, musicals, screenplays, and picture books. An avid supporter of Atlanta and its youth, Russell is the founder of the Herman J. Russell Entrepreneurial Scholarship Foundation for an Atlanta elementary school. Past Speaker - Atlanta, GA. Jay Bailey. In 1957, he took over the family business, Russell Plastering Company. – Company executive. Web. Political Parties, Interest Groups & Movements, Civil Rights & Modern Georgia, Since 1945, Business, Civic, and Community Leadership, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Allen Temple African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church, Herman J. Russell Sr. International Center for Entrepreneurship, ATL PBA: Building Atlanta: The Herman J. Russell Story, College of Management at Georgia Institute of Technology, Pilgrim Health and Life Insurance Company, Local Government Historic Preservation Commissions, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Russell's construction empire grew and diversified, paralleling the changing racial status quo of African Americans. Russell, the youngest of eight children, grew up in the Summerhill neighborhood, near, In 1953 Russell returned to Atlanta to begin his career. The Company’s operational focus … RUSSELL, Sr., Herman J. Enter the password that accompanies your username. The main campus is located near Kennesaw, along I-75 in Cobb County, and the … In 1963, Russell became the first black member, and later president, of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. Herman Russell was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1930 and attended Tuskegee Institute where he majored in construction, graduating in 1953. He and his wife, Otelia, lived in midtown Atlanta. Herman J. Russell, a prominent Atlanta businessman responsible for helping to develop the city’s many top destinations, died over the weekend. Ezunial Burks - Head Director of the Los Angeles Harbor Bro. ©2021 The HistoryMakers. Sources. Over the course of the last five decades he built one of the nation’s most profitable minority-owned business empires, transforming his father’s one-man plastering company … Herman J. Russell was the founder, CEO, and chairman of the board of H. J. Russell and Company and Concessions International, as well as a nationally recognized entrepreneur, philanthropist, and Atlanta civic leader. In the making for over a year, Building Atlanta: The Story of Herman J. Russell, is about the trailblazing entrepreneur who founded and built H.J. Get his book, it will inspire you, as it has inspired me too. Nonprofit Organization. His foundation continues to help young adults go to college with scholarships donations, schools supplies and other things. It has 480 students in grades 6-8 with a student-teacher ratio of 13 to 1. A program of Georgia Humanities in partnership with the University of Georgia Press, the University System of Georgia/GALILEO, and the Office of the Governor. Herman J. Russell 1931(?) He loves inspiring the youth and spends a lot of time volunteering at the Boys and Girls clubs around the world. - Partner at Callahan, … With wife, Camille, donated $20 million in 1988 to Spelman College in Atlanta. 12: Juanita Kidd Stout (American judge. Nonprofit Organization. Fall 2019 Business Model Competition: An Evening of Celebration Fall 2019 Business Model Competition: An Evening of Celebration. He was 83. At eight, he had his own paper route. Delxeno Wilson de Briano - American Communications Network, Bro. During this time, the company reported annual sales estimated at $150 million, with project offices in several cities from Miami, Florida, to New York City. Atlanta construction executive Herman Russell is a civic leader and philanthropist whose construction company ranks as the fourth largest in the U.S. He saved up enough rental income from that duplex to pay for his college education at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama where he earned his degree in building construction in 1952 and worked as a subcontractor with his brother Roger Russell assisting. Juanita Stout Forced Off Philadelphia High Court. Michael Russell was promoted to Chief Executive Officer of H. J. Russell & Company in October 2003 succeeding his father, Herman Russell, who founded the company in 1952 and led it for 50 years. Herman J. Russell West End Academy is a public school located in Atlanta, GA. In January 2015 Kennesaw merged with Southern Polytechnic State University (SPSU), bringing together the schools’ campuses and students under KSU’s name. Social Media Agency. Albany DPhiL. Anna T. Jeanes was a Philadelphia Quaker philanthropist who sought to improve community and school conditions for rural African Americans. In 1963 Herman J. Russell built his house on the lot that nobody else wanted. Nonprofit Organization. We build. As Georgia State University enters into its 20th year of support from the Herman J. Russell family, the Fall 2019 Business Model Competition, hosted by the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Institute’s H.J. Copyright 2004-2021 by Georgia Humanities and the University of Georgia Press. When DNA tests confirmed her claim, the Russell family offered Alston a modest financial settlement in exchange for her silence. The company has annual sales of more than $150 million and employs 700. Russell has served on the boards of numerous business, civic, and community organizations, among them the, Otelia Russell passed away in 2006, and three years later Russell's family donated $1 million to expand a new facility of, The Herman J. Russell Sr. International Center for Entrepreneurship at GSU's, In 2013 Russell was inducted as a Georgia Trustee, an honor conferred by the. At a Glance … “ We develop. Born into extreme poverty during the great depression Herman J. Russell became one of the most prominent real estate developers in the entire south despite restrictive Jim Crow Laws on African American investment. In 2015 Joycelyn Darby Alston, a resident of New York, claimed that she, too, was among Russell’s progeny, a product of a brief relationship between Russell and her mother, an Atlanta native. James was recently named President and CEO of the … Joe L. Dudley Sr. - Dudley Products Bro. Herman J. Russell was only 16 years old when he bought a vacant lot in Summerhill from the city of Atlanta to build his first rental property. Delta Phi Lambda Sorority Inc. Sorority & … ); 1930-, Chamber of Commerce of the United States of America. Russell & Co. in October last year, the 72-year-old Russell continues to work on the redevelopment of the Castleberry Hill historic district where his office is … H.J. He and his wife, Otelia, lived in midtown Atlanta. A 28-year veteran of the construction and real estate development industry, Michael is charged with leading the Company to greater heights as it embarks on its next fifty years. 11 March 2021. ); 1919-1998, Pennsylvania Supreme … Among his recognition awards are induction into the Junior Achievement Atlanta Business Hall of Fame in 1992, and recipient of the Horatio Alger Award in 1991. He bought his first parcel of land for $125 at age sixteen, later building a duplex on the property. By any measure, the life of Herman J. Russell was astounding. Willa Sibert Cather (/ ˈ k æ ð ər /; born Wilella Sibert Cather; December 7, 1873 – April 24, 1947) was an American writer known for her novels of life on the Great Plains, including O Pioneers!, The Song of the Lark, and My Ántonia.In 1923 she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for One of Ours, a novel set during World War I.. When Herman J. Russell died on November 15, 2014, he left behind one of the biggest legacies in Atlanta history. Martin Luther King, Jr. Russell has served also as a board member for civic organizations like the Allen Temple; Butler Street YMCA; Central Atlanta Progress; Tuskegee University; the NAACP Atlanta chapter; Citizens Trust Bank; Midtown Improvement District and the Georgia State University Advisory Board. All rights reserved. On August 16, 1962, Mary Frances Early became the first African American to graduate from the. Russell's track record of successful joint partnerships on large-scale projects with white-owned construction companies bolstered his business reputation across public and private sectors. 7: Coleman Young; 1918-1997, Paternity. Herman J. Russell and his son Michael Russell at their Collier Heights home in 2008. In 1994 Russell's construction businesses were reorganized under H. J. Russell and Company. Herman J. Russell was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on March 15, 2002. Born December 23, 1930, Russell was raised in the Summerhill section of the city, the youngest of eight children. Launching in 2019, honoring the great legacy and visionary business leadership of Herman J. Russell, The Russell Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (RCIE), will be the largest center in the country, driven by community impact, devoted to empowering African American entrepreneurs and small business owners. Jun 5, 1989 64 ... Herman J. Russell (American construction company executive. Born into poverty, the youngest of eight children, he was an entrepreneurial prodigy. Kennesaw State University (KSU), a unit of the University System of Georgia (USG), is the third largest university in the state, with a fall 2015 enrollment of roughly 32,000. They are the parents of two sons and a daughter, who are executives with H. J. Russell Co. Herman Russell passed away on November 15, 2014, at the age of 83. Mr. Herman J. Russell is an American icon, and is precisely what I speak about when I talk about silver rights and the silver rights movement, that follows the civil rights movement. VSA at GSU. Russell Company headquarters, Photo - Herman Russell during construction of his duplex, 1947. The Beta Omega chapter of OPBSI at Georgia State University. View NGE content as it applies to the Georgia Standards of Excellence. Nonprofit Organization. They are the parents of … She declined the offer and legal proceedings ensued, but the Russell family has so far refused to acknowledge Alston among Herman Russell’s legitimate heirs. He used his savings to help pay his tuition at Tuskegee University. Russell, chairman/CEO of H. J. Russell & Co., was born on December 23, 1930, in Atlanta, one of seven children of Maggie and Rogers Russell. We manage. College & University. The company grew so fast that Russell built his own headquarters in Castleberry Hill, … Russell Construction Co. Bro. Herman J. Russell - H.J. Herman retired from H.J. Bro. Returning to Atlanta, he worked alongside his father. His father was a plasterer from whom he learned the trade starting at the age of twelve. Shortly after graduating from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Cather moved to and … Herman Jerome Russell was born to Maggie Googson and Rogers Russell in Atlanta on December 23, 1930. An avid supporter of Atlanta and its youth, Russell is the founder of the Herman J. Russell Entrepreneurial Scholarship Foundation for an Atlanta elementary school. His father was a building plasterer, passing on the trade and his work ethic to Russell as a boy. The only initiative of its kind in the region, RCIE will be part incubator, part accelerator, part … Until his retirement from day-today management in 1997, Herman Jerome Russell was the driving force behind his highly successful H. J. Russell and Company, a conglomerate that includes construction, property … Dr. King almost spent more time in Mr. Russell's swimming pool than he and his family did. 16 September 2020. President and CEO of the Russell Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. According to state test scores, 13% of students are at least proficient in math and 15% in reading. at Ebenezer Baptist Church on Friday, Nov. 21 at 6 p.m. Since he announced his retirement as chairman and CEO of H.J. Update: Herman Russell's wake will be held. He was 83. Sonja Torres. By then he likely didn’t need his father’s money anyway; six years earlier, his father had turned over his plastering business to Herman, who’d set to work immediately expanding it. See how Herman Russell is related to other HistoryMakers, Photo - Herman Russell presents a photograph of his mother and other members of a church organization, Photo - Herman Russell presents a photograph of his grandfather, Photo - Herman Russell presents a photograph of his mother and niece in Atlanta, Georgia, Photo - Herman Russell presents a photograph of his mother in front of their Martin Street home, Photo - Herman Russell presents a photograph of his uncle, Photo - Herman Russell presents an Army photograph of his brother Lawrence Russell, Photo - Herman Russell presents a photograph of his sister, Photo - Herman Russell presents a photograph of his brother and friends in Buffalo, New York, 1950s, Photo - Herman Russell with his father, mother and sister at their home, 1947, Photo - Herman Russell and unidentified group at David T. Howard, 1946, Photo - Herman Russell with unidentified woman, 1946, Photo - Herman Russell at the Dogwood construction site, Atlanta, Georgia, 1980, Photo - Herman Russell in his office, 1974, Photo - Herman Russell with Jimmy Carter, Vernon Jordan and Jesse Hill in the Oval Office, Washington, D.C., 1977-1981, Photo - Herman Russell, Vernon Jordan, Jesse Hill and unidentified man, Oval Office, Washington, D.C., 1977-1981, Photo - Herman Russell, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Andrew Young and Ralph Abernathy, Photo - Herman Russell with NSI board members, 1989, Photo - Herman Russell, President Bill Clinton and Ann Jackson, Photo - Herman Russell and Mayor Willie Herenton, 1990-1992, Photo - Herman Russell, Otelia Russell and Donata Russell, 1986, Photo - Herman Russell holding his son Herman Russell Jr., 1959, Photo - Herman Russell with Herman Russell Jr. and Donata Russell, Photo - Herman Russell in ROTC uniform, 1952, Photo - Herman Russell presents a photograph of his parents, Maggie and Roger Russell, Photo - Herman Russell with grandchildren, Herman Russell talks about his mother's background, Herman Russell talks about his father's background, Herman Russell recalls his earliest childhood memories, Herman Russell reflects on his childhood home, Herman Russell remembers sights and smells of Summerhill, Atlanta, Georgia, Herman Russell touches upon the importance of church during his childhood, Herman Russell briefly speaks about elementary school, Herman Russell talks about his speech impediment, Herman Russell describes his successes as a child, Herman Russell speaks about his entrepreneurial talents while growing up, Herman Russel tells about the influence his father had on him, Herman Russell recalls getting his first bank loan, Herman Russell reminisces about his high school era athletic exploits, Herman Russell speaks about one of his heroes, Jackie Robinson, Herman Russell talks about buying and building on his first piece of land, Herman Russell's decides to attend Tuskegee Institute, Herman Russell's experience at Tuskegee Institute, Herman Russell talks about managing his duplex while away at college, Herman Russell describes Tuskegee's highlights and his current involvement with them, Herman Russell outlines his business's growth through the late 1970s, Herman Russell tells of his business relationship with Herman Talmadge, Herman Russell describes his professinal relationship with whites during the 1960s, Herman Russell talks about his insurance company, Herman Russell describes his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, Herman Russell talks about Civil Rights leaders in Atlanta, Georgia, Herman Russell talks about Martin Luther King Jr. and Vernon Jordan, Herman Russell tells of his involvement in the television industry, Herman Russell briefly tells the current status of his business, Herman Russell explains his experience as a cable franchisee, Herman Russell talks about his wholesale operation comared to the airport business, Herman Russell speaks about his role in politics, Herman Russell discusses the presence of African Americans in politics, Herman Russell tells of his involvement with the Citizens Trust Bank, Herman Russell talks about his current and future business plans, Herman Russell explains the importance of black business ownership, Herman Russell expresses his feelings on the status of the black community, Herman Russell states his opinion on how to better the black community, Herman Russell gives his opinions on family and raising children, Herman Russell talks of the younger generations becoming involved in business, Photo - Herman Russell in front of H.J. ” “ Bricks and Mortar Type of Guy ” Gave Back to the Community. Peter Adams, Esq. James T. Williams - Executive of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. Bro. Russell Center, proved to be a special night for our … We Own. A number of significant historical events have occurred in... Based in Athens, Margo Newmark Rosenbaum is a... Chenault, Wesley. He also played a leading role in the modern Civil Rights Movement working very closely with Rev. New Georgia Encyclopedia. Herman J. Russell, who grew from a shoe shine boy to one of the prominent builders of Atlanta and a strong civil rights influence, died Saturday after a brief illness. Over the course of fifty years, Russell amassed one of the nation's most profitable minority-owned business empires, turning a small plastering company into a construction and real … By the early twenty-first century, the Atlanta-based H. J. Russell and Company was a nationally recognized leader in the construction and real estate development industry, as well as the single largest Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) real estate firm in the United States. Herman J. Russell, the founder and former chief executive officer of H. J. Russell and Company, was a nationally recognized entrepreneur and philanthropist, as well as a highly influential leader in Atlanta. While a sophomore in high school, Russell purchased his first property, which he later developed and leveraged to pay his college tuition. Russell Center. Employed by his father since the age of 10, Russell was no stranger to hard work. Delta Phi Lambda Sorority, Inc. - Georgia Institute of Technology . After his father's death in 1957, Russell took over the company and expanded it into a conglomerate that includes general contracting, construction/program management, real estate development and property and asset management. Go to Google Play Now » Jet. Detroit Mayor Coleman Young Admits Fathering of Boy, 6. Russell Plastering Company did work for general contractors across Atlanta, while also buying and building more rental units. The Nation’s Largest African American Video Oral History Collection. Russell & Co. in 2003 but continued to work on his pet projects in the Castleberry Hill area, including Paschal's Restaurant. Born December 23, 1930, Herman Jerome "HJ" Russell grew up the youngest of eight children in the Summerhill Community of Atlanta, Georgia, a short distance from present-day Tur All rights reserved. Nonprofit Organization. Among his recognition awards are induction into the Junior Achievement Atlanta Business Hall of Fame in 1992, and recipient of the Horatio Alger Award in 1991.