Russell Allen Whitman, 87, died October 25, 2016, after several years’ struggle with cancer. He died in his apartment at Thornton Oaks, Brunswick, with family and CHANS nursing care by his side. His family wishes to express their deepest gratitude to the loving and dedicated service of Sue Michaud and other helpers from Neighbors, the CHANS Hospice staff and private duty caretakers, and his primary care practitioner, Karen Ludwig, with whom he shared a love of malted milkshakes.

Russ was born on a snowy Christmas Day, December 25, 1928, the son of Frederic Bennett Whitman and Gertrude Bissell Whitman, in La Crosse, Wisconsin. As a child he moved and attended schools throughout the Midwest, due to his father’s career in the railroad business. The family finally settled in Oakland, California, when Russ’s father became head of the Western Pacific Railroad. It was in Oakland that he met his future wife, Nancy Arnold Ross, whom he married in June, 1951. They had four children between 1952 and 1960.

In 1953, after receiving a B.A. in education from San Jose State College, California, Russ began his career as a high school teacher and sports coach in Santa Paula and then with Cate School in Carpenteria . During that time, he also received an M.A. from San Jose State College. In 1958, Russ and Nancy moved their growing family to Salem, Oregon, where Russ had received a coaching and teaching position with South Salem High School and where they would remain for the next six years. In 1962, Russ felt he had hit a career wall with his coaching and teaching. An acquaintance suggested he attend the newly started NDEA Counseling and Guidance Institute, run through Oregon State University. Russ was accepted and completed the training program. Combining skills and abilities he had cultivated, employed and enjoyed with his coaching and teaching practices, he found a way to use them in the field of counseling. He said “I found a profession that demanded not just my body or mind or heart, but all of me. I wanted work in personal relations, caring for others, helping the less fortunate and the outcast. “

After receiving his M.Ed. in 1964 from Oregon State University, he applied to and was accepted by Michigan State University as a doctoral candidate in their School of Guidance and Counseling. His work and counseling approaches were rooted in the works of Carl Rogers, Rollo May, Abraham Maslow, and George Kelly as applied to the growing field of humanistic psychology and person centered counseling. Russ strongly believed in relational, developmental approaches to therapy and applied them to all aspects of his work.

In 1968, Russ was hired to be director of the Testing and Counseling Service at the University of Maine, Orono. He helped merge the center with the Mental Health Clinic and after stepping down as director, he continued on as a counselor and assistant professor. His work included intern supervision, community and staff consultation and practicum training at the center. He was very instrumental in developing group counseling services, practice and training, a Ph.D. internship, outreach programs to a variety of student groups and services as well as a consultation and training program for residential life staff.

In honor of his work at UMO, in 1984 he was chosen as the recipient of the annual UMO Gould Award in recognition of his “outstanding qualities of unselfish dedication and compassion in the course of service to the university and its ideals.” With his retirement in 1991 from UMO, a counseling room was named for Russ as the Russell A. Whitman Group Room, in honor of his years of dedicated services from 1968 to 1991 and for the development of the Counseling Center’s Group Counseling Program. He also received the standing of Staff Counselor Emeritus from the university for his distinguished career and for his commitment and service to UMO.

After 30 years of marriage, Russ and Nancy divorced in 1981. At the end of the year, Marcia Smith of California joined Russ in Orono and remained his lifelong partner until her death. When Russ retired from the University of Maine in 1991, they moved to Occidental, California and spent ten years there caring for Russ’s mother and doing full time volunteer work with the Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods. For his dedication to Armstrong Redwoods, Russ received the Volunteer of the Year award from the California State Park Systems along with other honors as an outstanding volunteer. His photos were used in California parks calendars and brochures and his photo postcards are still being sold at the Armstrong Redwoods Visitor Center. His work with the preservation and maintenance of Pond Farm, (a historical artist’s colony) is still referred to as part of the history recounted to park visitors and with his death, his name will be engraved on the Armstrong Visitor Center memorial plaque.

After the death of his mother, Russ and Marcia moved to Carlsbad to be closer to Marcia’s three children, Mischell (Elias), Rod, and Tad Smith and their partners. During his time in Carlsbad with Marcia, Russ became close with Marcia’s 3 children and partners, and they all especially enjoyed sharing meals together.

Russ became involved with the Batiquitos Lagoon Foundation, doing trail work, helping to develop a Nature and Visitor’s Center and was a leader in the campaign against encroaching development. For his work and exceptional commitment to the lagoon, he was known as “Mr. Batiquitos” and received an Outstanding Volunteer Service award for his work from 2000 to 2013.

In 2007, Russ and Marcia moved to La Costa Glen Retirement Community where they stayed until Marcia’s death in 2012. Russ was diagnosed with breast cancer at that time and moved back to Maine to be closer to his children, Betsy and Andy, and their families, while he received cancer treatment. In 2014, when his cancer was stabilized, Russ moved to Thornton Oaks, Brunswick, and remained there until his death. At Thornton Oaks, he was known as a friendly, insightful and caring person, who had “the best hugs in the world.” He became sweethearts with Hope Haug, who was a comforting source of support during his decline and death. He was very impressed with the level of friendliness of the community at Thornton Oaks.

Russ established a love for photography as a young man and developed over the years into an impressive amateur nature photographer, receiving recognition for his work from many sources. He spoke of the importance to try to capture the “magic of light” with his photography and hoped his photos would inspire appreciation and preservation of the natural world all around us.

Russ loved his yearly family time with his children in Maine at his camp on Lower Lead Mountain Pond. He treasured camp time, particularly with his grandchildren. He loved hiking the trail to “Moose Crossing”, canoeing, playing card games and roasting S’mores with them. He will be remembered as Moosey Moose and for his wild and “authentic” moose calls. Russ was proud of all of his children and grandchildren and the” good lives” they made for themselves and their families.

His hobbies and passions besides photography included dancing (especially improvised soft shoe routines), running and walking he was younger, gardening, nature and nature conservation, and sports; as a participant, teacher, coach, and fan. He loved football above all sports and kept up on all his favorite teams over the years.

He was a professional member of the Association of Humanistic Psychology and the American Association for Counseling and Development. His conservation efforts included a life membership with the Sierra Club, the Appalachian Mountain Club and the Nature Conservancy, as well as memberships with many other conservation organizations.

In writing his memoirs, Russ expressed, “This world‘s a wonderful place to have a chance to live and grow. Always enjoy the little magical moments in your life. I have had a really rich life and I am thankful for it.” He always remained engaged with friends, nature and in learning “new stuff.” Russ will be remembered for his kind and warm human relations skills, insightful compassion, great sense of humor, dedication to community service and the environment, and by the many people who called him, “my friend.”

Russ is survived by two daughters: Elizabeth (Betsy) L. Whitman and husband Harro Jakel, of Portland, Maine, and Clara G. Parrett and husband Lloyd, of Richmond, Indiana; by two sons: Franklin B. Whitman of Austin, Nevada, and Andrew A. Whitman and wife Cammy, of Bath, Maine; a sister, Harriet Whitman Lee, of Emeryville, California; four grandchildren; Annarosa Jakel Whitman, Katherine, Daniel and Emily Whitman, niece Nina Thayer, and dear friend Hope Haug. He was predeceased by his former wife Nancy, by Marcia Smith, his life partner of 31 years, as well as his parents and niece, Lisa Thayer.

A community memorial service will be held on Sunday, November 27, 2016 at 3PM, at Thornton Oaks, Brunswick, Maine with Reverend Christina Sillari of First Parish UU Portland officiating. All are invited. A life celebration in Russ’s honor will also take place at the University of Maine, Orono, Counseling Center on December 17th at 1:30. For more information or to RSVP for the UMO event, please call the Counseling Center at 207-581-1392. Condolences may be expressed a t [email protected] as well as questions about both events. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Maine Audubon Society, the Stewards of the Coast and Redwoods or your favorite nature advocacy organization.