Jack Russell

Jack Russell was the only son of Angus and Nancy (Orr) Russell of Toronto, both originally from Scotland. An active member of the local Argonaut Rowing Club, Russell was a member of the eights team that represented Canada at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics and fell just short of the finals, having been eliminated after losing to Germany in the semi-final repêchage.

He was married for a period of time to Philadelphia-born fellow rower Elizabeth “Betty” McDevitt, with whom he had four sons. Russell continued to be involved in rowing after his competitive career, serving as the head coach and president of the Argonaut Rowing Club in the late 1950s and throughout the 1960s, as well as on the executive. Later, he also owned a pub in Toronto called “The Jack Russell”.