Russell A. Dawson Beloved husband, father, and grandfather died peacefully on January 10, 2021 of complications of Parkinson's disease. He was 72. A fifth generation Washingtonian, Russ (Rusty), as most know him, had a passion for U.S. history and genealogy, discovering that his ancestors were among the first to bring printing to the public. He had an affinity for Civil War history in particular and loved collecting old books and visiting old cemeteries. For years, he served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Historical Society of Washington. Russ was a lifelong fan of 60's and 70's, music, especially the Beatles, and amusingly taught his children that this was what quality music sounded like. Russ had a distinguished professional career serving at the Environmental Protection Agency from 1983 to 1990, where he was Press Secretary to EPA Administrator Lee Thomas and headed the Office of Communications and Public Affairs. Following EPA, he became a partner at Potomac Communications Group, a public relations company in Washington, where he worked for over 20 years. He was a trusted advisor and strategist and was greatly admired and respected for his collegiality, tolerance and integrity making him a highly regarded mentor to many communications professionals he worked with. Among his many impressive attributes was his ability to maintain patience, determination and perspective. Russ served as a Marine Corps combat veteran in the 1st Marine Division, who participated in patrols that frequently engaged enemy soldiers in firefights. He was awarded a Purple Heart for wounds received in one of those engagements. He earned a B.A. degree at the University of Maryland in 1972 and was a lifelong, loyal but frustrated Terrapin football and basketball fan. After college, he was a reporter, then editor and managing editor with Business Publishers, Inc. Before joining EPA, he was director of public affairs at the National Criminal Justice Association. Altogether Russ worked more than 35 years in journalism, media relations and strategic communications before retiring in 2011. Russ will be dearly missed by his wife, Charlotte, his son, David Dawson and his two daughters, Katherine Dawson and Rebecca Rusk (Daniel), and granddaughters, Cleo and Delia Rusk, as well as many extended family members and friends. He was previously married to Susan Y. Dawson. He was predeceased by his parents, Roy C. and Virginia Dawson and his brother, Robin. Interment will be at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date, to be followed by a celebration of life. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Parkinson's Foundation National Capital Area or to the Washington Historical Society.
Contributor: Laura (46619789)