Harold Goldstein / Roundup
Bill Russell, a Pierce College instructor of anthropological and geographical sciences who is best known for working on the Pierce weather station, is retiring.
Russell’s interest in the field of geography began when he started reading issues of National Geographic in middle school.
“I was fascinated by the different types of landscapes and different types of cultures in the magazine,” Russell said. “I had an interest in history as well, so all of these things tied together for me.”
However, Russell had taken interests in other things throughout his school years until he began to attend graduate school to pursue geography as his main interest.
“I didn’t really major into geography,” Russell said. “I took other courses and I had other plans.”
Russell began his college life in 1962 at Los Angeles Valley College for a few years before transferring to California State University, Northridge, where he received his bachelor’s degree in history and master’s degree in geography.
He then attended University of California, Los Angeles to work on a Ph.D program he did not complete because of an interest in teaching.
Russell began teaching in 1970 at Los Angeles City College, where he stayed until 1984. His teaching career at Pierce College started in 1985.
“I like the idea of being able to help people understand the world better and learn about what the world is like,” Russell said. “I wanted to convey my interests onto students as well.”
During his teaching at Pierce College, Russell also took an interest in the Pierce weather station.
The Pierce weather station was established July 1, 1949 by A. Lee Haines, a professor of botany who ran it for 22 years until he retired in 1971.
The direction of the weather station was then given to James Vernon, a professor of geology and meteorology.
Vernon made various updates to the weather station and was in command for 15 years.
Russell was then given the responsibility of maintaining the weather station in 1986, updating it even more by making it able to perform weather predictions automatically and then send the information to the station’s Web site.
“I was able to get funding for a grant to put in an automated weather station,” Russell said.
Russell has volunteered to work on the weather station until someone else decides to take the reins.
“We’re not sure yet on what’s going to happen,” Russell said. “You don’t want to ask someone who’s teaching part time to take on that responsibility.”
After retirement, Russell plans to teach part time at Pierce and would like to travel around the world as well.
Other interests he would like to pursue include landscape photography and bicycle riding, and he would like to begin attending art classes.
