1997 Honorees, George & Jane Russell

Through their personal and professional partnership, George and Jane Russell brought to life the qualities we celebrate in awarding the E. Donnall Thomas Medal of Achievement: inspirational leadership in their company and community; a force for positive change; and dedication to service that puts their highest humanitarian principles into action. Together, George and Jane have inspired a corporate culture of integrity in which employees are valued partners. They have applied their professional influence to developing and supporting a diversity of programs that benefit their community. And because their sense of community is global as well as local, so was their commitment to making the world a better place.

Corporate visionaries. Under their leadership, Frank Russell Company evolved from a small Tacoma investment firm with a handful of clients to one of the world's leading asset consulting and investment management firms. Known for his rare ability to understand the global picture and how to step out onto the cutting edge before the rest of the world gets there, George Russell is an industry pioneer whose global insight and bold ideas have shaped the investment world. He founded the pension consulting business that revolutionized how retirement assets are now managed, and Frank Russell now represents more than $600 billion in client consulting assets and oversees nearly one-third of all private pension funds invested internationally. Jane Russell is credited as the architect of the corporate culture at Frank Russell Company, which fosters integrity in an environment of mutual trust and respect. She was the director of Corporate and Community Relations and a member of Russell's Board of Directors and its Operating Committee. She was the visionary behind Russell's award-winning programs for ethics, sabbaticals, employee wellness, education and training. The company was named "Best Large Company to Work for in Washington State" by Washington CEO in 1994 and received the "Better Workplace" Award from the Association of Washington Business in 1995.

Community citizenship. Jane chaired the finance committee for Pacific Lutheran University's Board of Regents. She sat on the boards of the National Center for Nonprofit Boards, Washington, D.C.; the American Leadership Forum; KCTS/9 Television; and the University of Washington Tacoma Campus Advisory Board. She also served on the campaign cabinet of the Washington State History Museum. She was past board chair of St. Joseph Hospital and Medical Center, past board chair of Charles Wright Academy and past president of the Junior League of Tacoma. She had been the recipient of the Tacoma/Pierce County's Community Service Award and the Pacific Peaks Girl Scout Council's Women of Distinction Award. George is a member of the New York Stock Exchange and has served as chairman of the board of the Seattle branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. He is a member of the Washington Roundtable; a trustee of the Committee for Economic Development; Chairman of the Board of Overseers and the Executive Committee of the Hoover Institute on War, Revolution and Peace at Stanford University.

Global pioneers. In 1990, George founded the Russell 20-20, a group of the world's largest pension sponsors and money managers representing over 1 trillion dollars in assets, to search for investment opportunities in countries making the transition from command to market economies. George and Jane funded two documentaries and one television series on free market economics which were televised in Russia in 1995-96. In 1996, at the request of the United Nations, George convened 18 renowned academics, professionals and public officials for the Forum on Human Solidarity held during the Second United Nations Conference on Human Settlements in Istanbul.

Local heroes. Over the years, the Russells resisted pressure to move the company to one of the world's financial centers, choosing instead to establish the Puget Sound area as a center for global finance. They are the originators and active supporters of a concept to develop an international financial services center in Tacoma. George is a founding member of the Executive Council for Greater Tacoma, a group of corporate and community leaders dedicated to the revitalization of Tacoma; Jane won numerous awards for her work with Pierce County community service organizations. Together, they co-chaired the effort to build the $38.8 million International Museum of Modern Glass on Tacoma's waterfront.

The Russells have four children; Richard, Dion, Eric and Sarah. Three of them are involved in the family business.

Sadly, the world lost one of its great spirits, Jane Russell, who lost her battle with cancer in May, 2002. Even with her passing, we continue to be enriched by, and grateful for, the spirit and dedication that George and Jane so generously shared with each other, their family, their associates and their neighbors-both here at home and around the world.

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