Paul J. Russell

PAUL JOSEPH RUSSELL (1945 – 2023), born in Kalamazoo, Mich., excelled in sciences and math, attended Yale Univ. in Economics, was a securities analyst on Wall St., before moving to CA, as Sr. VP of international firms. After retirement he found the most satisfaction in Santa Barbara, serving as Trustee and volunteer at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. He was known for his support of environmental causes, natural history education, and a lifelong study of Lepidoptera, shared by his wife Sandy, on many field expeditions.

Paul lived in NY, CT, and CA: in Santa Barbara for 25 years, where he enjoyed the many cultural amenities of the Symphony, art exhibits, UCSB classes and foreign travel. Paul donated the Russell North American Lepidoptera Collection, over 50,000 specimens from the western US, a 50 yr. effort. to the Museum’s Entomology Dept.

Paul is survived by his wife Sandy, daughter Elizabeth (Mrs. Kurt Russell), grandson Ronan, and Paul’s 4 siblings. A Memorial Celebration of Life is planned for March, when his favorite wildflowers will be in bloom, at SBMNH. The family suggests that in lieu of flowers, a contribution to SBMNH would be appreciated.