Letter to the Editor: Remembering Mike Russell (Cont.)

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he late Mike Russell of American Trucking Associations was a good man, and the transportation world will miss his rich, booming, made-for-broadcast voice for a long time to come. (Click here for previous coverage.)

I met the always-dapper Mike in 1993, when he was the spokesman for U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders. That year, I was president of the National Press Club and the surgeon general was at the club to give a luncheon address.

I immediately noted that Mike was friendly, helpful, easy to work with, and, as a former newsman, he instantly bonded with all the journalists present. Watching him work the crowd before the speech and afterward was instructive.

Later that same day, Mike called me at Knight-Ridder News Service, where I was a news editor at the time, and in a distressed voice asked me what it was that Ms. Elders had said during that speech that would trigger a flurry of media calls. We soon learned that what we thought was an innocuous comment that she made during the question-and-answer session after the speech had, on a slow news day, become a major story. A news-wire story issued soon after the luncheon said Dr. Elders had declared that the U.S. government should consider legalizing drugs.

That wasn’t exactly what Mike and I heard her say, but Mike handled that crisis with professionalism, confidence, and poise. For years afterwards, the details of our meeting always made for a humorous exchange about the hazards of being a professional spokesman.

Several years later, I found myself fortunate enough to be working closely with him again in my role as editor and publisher of a transportation and logistics trade magazine. Our paths crossed yet again, as I followed his path from journalism to government service.

Mike was one of those accomplished individuals in the media world who perform admirably in both journalism and advocacy — and in many theaters, from television to public service to private industry.

And let’s not forget Mike Russell’s service to his country during and after his four years in the United States Marine Corps.

I remember his great pride in steering truckers to wrap 1,000 trailers in Marine Corps recruiting billboards not long after the 9/11 tragedy. To Mike, it was a way to tell young Marines overseas, “We’re proud of them and will do our part by carrying the Marine Corps colors in support of their efforts.”

The untimely death of such an energetic and patriotic man on June 15 is a loss for all of us in the transportation world. He will be missed, especially because he was fair, and a straight-shooter, while at same time he stood as a staunch advocate for the portfolio he carried.

I offer my deepest condolences to his wife, Rita, his daughter, Michele, and all his co-workers at ATA.

Clayton Boyce

i>Communications Advisor

lexandria, Va.

This letter appears in the July 3 print edition of Transport Topics. Subscribe today.