BookRix

On November 4, 1945 in Illinois, Russell was born to parents Harley and Eleanor. Educated at Ohio Wesleyan University, Russell earned his bachelor's degree before attending Northern Illinois University to receive his master's and doctorate degrees in education. Using what he'd learned, he worked as a high school English teacher and then went to Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Inc. as an editor. It was while he was doing his doctorate studies that he came across the idea of making classical literature accessible to both parents and their children.