Library honors late Greenbank artist
By JUSTIN BURNETT
Whidbey News Times Staff reporter
October 21, 2010 · Updated 3:58 PM
Glen Russell, the late Greenbank artist and activist, will be honored Monday when his last work is dedicated in a ceremony at the Sno-Isle Coupeville Library.
The Oct. 25 event begins at 6:30 p.m. and will be held in the Community Meeting Room, located at 788 NW Alexander Street. Music will be provided by Vern Olsen, a longtime friend of Russell and a member of the Shifty Sailors band.
Russell, 64, died in his sleep at his home in Greenbank this past July. He was just putting the finishing touches on his final piece, an arch that will span the entrance to the children’s room in the Coupeville Library, when he died.
Russell was a well-known artist, specializing in wood carving, and has pieces scattered across the island. The most recognizable are the front doors he carved for the Island County Historical Society museum in Coupeville and the mural that decorates the lobby of Whidbey General Hospital.
He also developed a reputation as a community activist. He spent the last two years of his life leading the battle to preserve a beach access at the end of Wonn Road in Greenbank. His efforts resulted in the creation of the Save our Beaches organization, and the Island County board of commissioners voting in March of 2009 to take the property owner to court.
Contact Whidbey News Times Staff reporter Justin Burnett at jburnett@whidbeynewsgroup.com or 360-675-6611 ext. 5054.Comment on this story.
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