Educational Excellence Since 1912
Hamden Hall Country Day School
Educating students in PreSchool through Grade 12
Hamden Hall Country Day School
Educating students in PreSchool through Grade 12
Beloved 'Gentle Giant' Ernie Russ Passes at 96
Ernest W. “Ernie” Russ, beloved member of the Hamden Hall Country Day School community, passed away Sunday, Nov. 27, in his home on the Whitney Avenue campus. He was 96.
Born on May 3, 1920, Ernie grew up in the Hartford public school system before attending Yale University. While he ultimately graduated from Yale with both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in science, his education was interrupted by service to his country.
“Ernie lived a long, rewarding, and honorable life that included serving in the U.S. Armed Forces during WWII,” stated Head of School Bob Izzo in a correspondence regarding Ernie’s passing.
The U.S. Army helped hone Ernie’s love of science – he served as a meteorologist in the Pacific arena during World War II. According to Dan Zibello, former Hamden Hall science teacher, Ernie’s work during the war was cutting edge and involved careful observation, communication with other military weather stations, and the eventual development of accurate models.
Ernie began his storied tenure with Hamden Hall in 1947 as a science teacher. He once recalled that his first day on campus included an observation of Marjorie Stewart’s English class. Ultimately, Ernie taught biology, chemistry, and math for nearly 20 years before retiring from the classroom. His meteorological background would come into play during his time under the pines with the naming of his famed Jeep, Nimby, which stood for cumulonimbus thunderstorm clouds, according to alumnus Lee Herrington, Class of 1952. Many a trip was made in Nimby – both in and out of state – the stories of which have since become legendary.
“The trips I remember were to Maine and the Adirondack Mountains in New York State,” recalled Lee in a tribute to Ernie that appeared in the 2007 Hamden Hall Magazine. “Once at the Russ family camp (which Ernie’s grandmother purchased in 1884), we would spend days hiking the trails around the Marcy range and the 47 peaks over 4,000 feet. The rerouting and clearing of trails was an important activity.”
As an avid outdoorsman, Ernie was a volunteer with the Adirondack Trail Improvement Society and a skier. He once took a group of junior class boys to Lake Placid, New York. His love of dogs was also well-known to students; especially Mandy, whom Ernie adopted in 1956 and trained to fetch his slippers, according to Russell Judd, Class of 1957.
After retiring from the classroom following the 1965-1966 school year, Ernie donned various caps including coach, advisor, team statistician, equipment manager, and special friend to the Building and Grounds Department.
“From cleaning uniforms, to scorekeeping, to lining fields, to his detailed statistics…he did thankless tasks, unbeknownst to most,” recalled Thomas Virgulto, Class of 1985.
At a tribute for Ernie in 2007 that attracted nearly 200 well-wishers (and established the Ernie Russ Endowment and Scholarship Fund), Rick Winters, Class of 1982, talked about the “unbelievably manicured stat sheets” that Ernie compiled for the school’s athletes.
“In our senior year we were presented with a plaque with our names and stats on it,” Rick recalled.
Ernie also became known for his fondness of Groundhog’s Day, which he celebrated with an annual card or postcard to faculty and alumni. “I used to send Christmas cards to kids and faculty, but I became ill at Christmas one time and figured people get enough mail at that time of year, so I decided to send cards on Groundhog Day,” Ernie told Herbie Epstein, Class of 2005, in an interview that appeared in the Summer 2005 Alumni Magazine.
The celebrated teacher and coach was honored in 1997 when the school dedicated the “Ernest Russ Field” at its Skiff Street Athletic Complex. “For more than 50 years, Ernie Russ inspired Hamden Hall students and athletes with his heartfelt service as a teacher, coach statistician, field manager and equipment supervisor,” the sign at the field reads.
In 2008, Ernie was once again honored as an inductee into the inaugural Perennial Pines Society, which recognizes former faculty members with 30 or more years of service to Hamden Hall.
For Ernie, you can more than double that number as he was part of the Hamden Hall community for 70 years – a living legend who continually drew visits from former students from as far away as California to Florida. The school celebrated Ernie’s 90th birthday in 2010 with 800 cupcakes and the unveiling of “Ernie the Hornet,” a mascot statue bearing Ernie’s name that stands in the Beckerman Athletic Center.
“Ernie has been described by his colleagues as having a brilliant mind,” noted Head of School Bob Izzo during the event (which attracted a television news crew for the local newscast!). “Ernie Russ is everything that this school stands for, and Hamden Hall has been blessed to have this Gentle Giant among us.”
Five years later, the school celebrated again in honor of Ernie’s 95th birthday (garnering a special visit from former student Dr. Alan Wells, Class of 1953). A pine tree that had been planted in his honor in 2007 was rededicated, having grown from a tiny 3-footer to a majestic 12 feet. And just a month later, at the June 2016 Commencement Exercises, Ernie was acknowledged with the Hamden Hall Medal of Distinction. Classmates from 1954, Maryanne Lincoln Hall and Robert Mansfield, were in attendance to show their affection.
This past May, Ernie turned 96 and the school once again brought out the candles and cake (plus hundreds of cupcakes!) as the entire school community – complete with alumni – sang Happy Birthday. During his final days, which he spent in his home, alumni from the 1950s, including Bill and Doris Polinsky, both of the Class of 1958, visited Ernie and reported that although he was frail, his memory was amazingly intact.
“On behalf of Hamden Hall, I thank the decades of alumni and current and former faculty who remained in touch with Ernie over the years. Your affection and attention to Ernie gave his life added meaning,” stated Mr. Izzo.
Now, upon Ernie’s passing, our school community comes together to bid him a fond and loving farewell. He was and will always be someone whose name is synonymous with dedication and loyalty to our school. His roots were deep, and his vast legacy of Hornet pride will live on at Hamden Hall.
A memorial service for Ernie is planned for Saturday, Dec. 17, at 11 a.m. at the Northford Congregational Church in Northford, Conn.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Ernie Russ Endowment & Scholarship Fund in care of Hamden Hall County Day School, 1108 Whitney Ave., Hamden, CT 06517.
Hamden Hall Country Day School
1108 Whitney Avenue
Hamden, Connecticut 06517
Phone: 203-752-2600
Fax: 203-752-2651
admissions@hamdenhall.org
Hamden, Connecticut 06517
Phone: 203-752-2600
Fax: 203-752-2651
admissions@hamdenhall.org
About Us
Hamden Hall Country Day School is a nurturing and inclusive community with a dynamic learning environment that promotes academic excellence by understanding each child and fostering their individual growth.
