Continue to construct great buildings in heaven. Stolle, Geraldine J. No words can express the depth of our sorrow as we remember Mr. H.J. Senator Vincent Fort (@Senatorfort) November 15, 2014, R. I.P. Herman J. Russell - Wikipedia But he invested most of his time and energy in his hometown. This was also the year that Herman founded H. J. Russell Plastering Company in Atlanta, whichwould later become H. J. Russell & Company. By John B. Smith, Sr. Special to the NNPA from The Atlanta Inquirer ATLANTA - Herman J. Russell, the native Atlantan born in 1931 from humble beginnings in the Summerhill community who ultimately grew to become founder of the nation's most influential African-American construction and property management company in southwest Atlanta, from a plastering business in [] My father taught me how to love, Jerome said. My sadness is only eclipsed by the great admiration and inspiration that his life had up on my own. Building Atlanta: The Story of Herman J. Russell was created in coordination with the Russell family by Emmy Award-winning father and son co-directors, David and John Duke of Living Stories Film & Video. However, his beginnings were humble. Building Atlanta: The Story of Herman J. Russell will be airing on Delta Studio until May 31, 2021 and will be featured within the airlines Must See Documentaries spotlight collection. Khalil said he took the job even going back to ask for $250 more a month so he could make his car payments because he knew he would learn and eventually earn much more than he was giving up under Russells tutelage. He, along with Atlanta University student leaders Julian Bond, Charlayne (Hunter) Gault, Charles Black, Lonnie King, Jr., Johnny Parham, Marian Wright and local businessman Jesse Hill, Jr., Dr. Clinton E. Warner, Gladys Powell, Hilda Wilson and others, Russell founded, in 1960, The Atlanta Inquirer, a member of the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) the Black Press of America during the height of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.-led Civil Rights Movement. Business and civil rights icon Herman J. Russell Sr. was celebrated Saturday not with tears of pain, but through laughter and demonstrations of love for a man whose funeral was closed with the song My Way.. The program described his achievements as an entrepreneur, his love of family and of friends. Clearly, the answer is yes. [], Where are todays Muhammad Ali-like athletes? Since 2008, she has written a weekly column and news stories for theAtlanta Business Chronicle. Russell, a lifelong Atlantan who counted among his friends several presidents and the Rev. He was working for a residential developer at the time. Like Atlanta, he started off with a little shoe shine stand, now his company is a major influence in everything happening in the city. 1938: Starts first business shining shoes. [9], "Herman J. Russell built legacy in Atlanta", "International Civil Rights: Walk of Fame Herman J. Russell", "Atlanta business icon Herman J. Russell has died", "Herman Jerome Russel (1930- ), Business Mogul, Community Leader, Philanthropist", "BUILDING ATLANTA by Herman J. Russell , Bob Andelman", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Herman_J._Russell&oldid=1114763061, This page was last edited on 8 October 2022, at 04:13. Herman was not just a great man. 1989: Constructs Delta Flight Operations Center. Part business generator, innovation lab, and museum, RICE invests in Black entrepreneurs, strengthens businesses, and creates community. ATLANTA - As the founder and former CEO of HJ Russell and Company, Herman J. Russell built one of the United States' leading black owned construction, real estate and concessions empires, before his death in 2014. What do the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the Georgia Dome, Turner Field, Phillips Arena, the downtown Atlanta skyline, the administration of the iconic Mayor Maynard Jackson and the Civil Rights Movement all have in common? 1982: Constructs Georgia-Pacific Headquarters. New Atlantas Founding Father, Herman J. Russell, dies. If you lose any money, its your ass. At that time, the construction company had revenues of $12 million a year. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. We should pray to have even a fraction of the impact he had on the lives of others!. He helped get them elected., His speech impediment was an asset, Egbert Perry, a protege of Russells and now CEO of development firm The Integral Group, once told the AJC. There was just no way to go to work at a very early age.. Atlanta has lost a socially conscious native son. Herman Russell had a major impact on many of us and he lived a great life.- Michael Russell, son of Herman Russell and CEO of H.J. About a decade ago, Russell turned over the operations of the H.J. Russell, chairman/CEO of H. J. Russell & Co., was born on December 23, 1930, in Atlanta, one of seven children of Maggie and Rogers Russell. Go back inside and find something to do, Russell Jr. said his grandfather ordered. While business was his public face, Herman Russell Sr.s heart belonged to family, friends and equality, speaker after speaker said. []. Not only did the firm receive company and leadership awards and recognitions by various organizations and institutions in Atlanta, the companys Project Management division set up offices in Birmingham, AL and expanded its headquarters to more than 42,000 square feet in the Castleberry Hill neighborhood of Atlanta. Herman J. Russell, who founded Atlanta-based H. J. Russell & Company in 1952 and Concessions International, LLC, in 1979, is known for helping to build the Atlanta skyline as its seen today as well as for shaping the airport dining experience for travelers throughout the country and the U. S. Virgin Islands. Prior to that, she spent 27 years with TheAtlanta Journal-Constitution,becoming its business columnist in 1991. Russell & Company CEO Michael Russell said in a statement. ATLANTA Herman J. Russell, the native Atlantan born in 1931 from humble beginnings in the Summerhill community who ultimately grew to become founder of the nation's most influential African-American construction and property management company in southwest Atlanta, from a plastering business in the '50s - made transition, on Saturday, Nov. 15, following a brief illness. Reactions to the death of Herman J. Russell - ajc We put your body to rest, Young said. Former staff writer Maria Saporta also contributed. He also made money available for bail bonds during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, and was a heavy donor to King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Young said. Documentary 'Building Atlanta,' About Legendary Black Businessman He bought his first parcel of land for $125 at age sixteen, later building a duplex on the property. He used his savings to help pay his tuition at Tuskegee University. He left his indelible mark on our citys skyline as one of the developers who constructed some of our regions iconic structures. History - H.J. Russell & Company He had a good mind and sharp pencil. When are the 2023 college graduation ceremonies in Georgia? Atlanta parents say trip to state soccer finals marred by racial slurs, Seeing is believing: Stars and styles from tonight's Met Gala, No, a bionic bordello isnt coming to rural Georgia, Braves star Ronald Acua Jr. day to day after exiting game with left shoulder contusion, Mistrial over murder charge for defendant accused in Gwinnett teens death, International cyberhackers disrupt websites of UPS, Hartsfield-Jackson, Spelman students win $1M Goldman Sachs prize, Why Silicon Valley Banks fall still impacts Black Atlanta founders. #titan Here is a 60-second trailer of the film. He released his autobiography, Building Atlanta: How I Broke Through Segregation to Launch a Business Empire, last April. 7th Terrace, The companys leadership was shifting too, placing his capable children H. Jerome, Michael and Donata to significant leadership positions as H. J. Russell announced his retirement was imminent. The Russell empire also includes Concessions International, a hospitality company that operates the famed Paschals Restaurant in Castleberry Hill and restaurants in airports across the country, including Atlantas Hartsfield-Jackson International. R.I.P. In every phase of Atlanta development from Hartsfield to the present, he was a major and dominant influence. The legacy of real estate mogul HJ Russell - FOX 5 Atlanta Half-sister of Herman Russell's children wants share of his estate Over the next fifty years, he continued to build businesses, amassing one of the nations and the worlds most profitable minority-owned conglomerates. Herman Russell had a major impact on many of us, and he lived a great life.. And he was just a sophomore in high school a mere infant in the business world when he exemplified the level of business acumen that would turn him into a superstar in adulthood. Go run the company, Russell told him. 'New Atlanta's Founding Father' Herman J. Russell Dies We know hes at rest., He continued, He was elated and proud of the fact that he was able to share his legacy with others and, most importantly, his grandchildren. It is a loss that I and so many others share.. Russell retired from H.J. Office: (954) 525-1489 1989: Constructs Grady High School addition. These are the reasons along with a slew others that cavalcades of dignitaries, civil leaders and politicians are streaming into Atlanta to pause and pay homage to one of the pillars of modern Atlanta. Russell both built a visible and admired company and worked behind the scenes on racial and economic issues. It also was Russell who wrote checks to pay the bail of students arrested after sit-ins at lunch counters in the South during the civil rights movement, said Jordan. Building Atlanta: The Story of Herman J. Russell Documentary to be featured by Delta Air Lines Starting in Black History Month His legacy will live on in the projects he built, the family he raised, and the people he touched throughout his life., Ernest Greer, chairman of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and vice president and Atlanta managing shareholder at law firm Greenberg Traurig, He was one of the Giants of our time. [1] Russell's autobiography Building Atlanta was published in April 2014, shortly before his death. We will celebrate his life and learn from his example. It caused a lot of people to underestimate him. Herman did twice, Perry said. But Holder did give Russell an interview holding a business conference with a black person for the first time in his life and believed that Russell wanted a chance to prove himself. 1986: Constructs Atlanta Gas Light Headquarters. And then Michael remembered one his fathers favorite sayings: Bring something more to the table than your appetite.. New Atlanta's Founding Father, Herman J. Russell, dies H.J. For Michael Russell Jr., he said he would remember the passion of his grandfather and how he understood a tight-knit family is rare.. Back in those days, I faced some tough segregation, Russell said in an interview in March. Herman J. Russell, an entrepreneur and philanthropist who turned a small plastering firm into one of the most successful African-American-owned real estate development and construction. Russell was the low bidder as a subcontractor for Midtowns Colony Square, but it was 1968 and Holder was reluctant to give such a big job to a small, little-known, minority firm. Soon after, he formed the plastering company that over several decades became a successful development and construction conglomerate. He was a powerbroker who helped transform not just the skyline of one of the countrys greatest cities; he helped redeem the soul of America. Once, when he was working for the elder Russell, he had finished his work and was in the parking lot getting ready to leave. During my friendship with Herman for more than 50 years, following the founding of the historic Atlanta Inquirer, we were mentor and mentee in the early years; however, as we grew within Atlanta, he became more than just a mentor and friend.

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