The Roxbury Latin School

Faculty member emeritus Richard “Dick” Russell passed away on June 17 after a long battle with illness. Dick served as a teacher, coach, and advisor at Roxbury Latin for 33 years, from 1977 to 2010, and was a stalwart member of the Mathematics Department.

Dick’s contributions and commitment to his students extended far beyond the classroom. Dick coached both hockey and baseball and was an enthusiastic fan at RL athletic competitions. A walking anthology of RL history, Dick delighted his students with his animated storytelling. Upon his retirement in 2010, the senior class dedicated their yearbook to him as follows: “It is Mr. Russell’s devotion, hard work, and kind personality for which he is most loved. For his commitment, his tireless work ethic, his personality and hilarious stories, for his genuineness and kindness, we dedicate our yearbook to Mr. Russell.”

In his time at RL, Dick offered his unmatched enthusiasm, his unwavering care, and his force of personality. We extend our deepest sympathy to Dick’s family, and we are grateful for the commitment of this lifelong educator and the impact he has had on decades of Roxbury Latin students and, by extension, on all of us.

A compelling op-ed by Rahsaan Mustafa-Coentro (II) was recently published in the CommonWealth Beacon, addressing the importance of keeping siblings placed into foster care together. Rahsaan has been a foster brother twice; he's the founder of Kicking It Together, a soccer clinic for kids in foster care and their siblings, and he volunteers with Silver Lining Mentoring.

Read the article at https://commonwealthbeacon.org/opinion/massachusetts-must-stop-separating-siblings-in-foster-care/