By Stan Hall, Digital Communications Manager
All photos from Friends' archive except where noted.
The story of Friends of the Columbia Gorge founder Nancy Russell’s campaign to protect and preserve the Columbia Gorge is told in rich detail in a book published in Oct. 2022 by Oregon State University’s OSU Press: A Force for Nature: Nancy Russell’s Fight to Save the Columbia Gorge. The account of Russell's life and work was written by environmental attorney and first-time author Bowen Blair,.
Blair relates Russell’s story from an interesting perspective, since he himself played a significant role in the efforts to establish the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. As chair of Friends’ board, Russell recruited Blair to join Friends as its first executive director in 1982. He was serving in that role in 1986, when the dream of a federally protected Columbia Gorge became reality.
While working with Russell, Blair understood that her determination was a decisive factor in that success. As he put it, “It never occurred to Nancy—although it did to everyone else—that the Act might not pass. She would make sure that it did. Her focus, passion, and physical and emotional strength complemented this determination, and Nancy was smart, competitive, and fun to be around as well.”
Of the book, Blair said, "It is the incredible story of a woman who apparently had none of the classic skills needed to create this major campaign. Nancy didn’t have the background in nonprofit work or fundraising. She didn’t have an organizing background. Yet she did have those skills. It’s the story of a woman who against all odds succeeded, even when there were many setbacks, many times when it appeared her and her allies' efforts would fail.”
In addition to researching Russell’s life and career, as Blair became closer to her before her death in 2008, he learned more about her personal background. “I was surprised by the obstacles Nancy faced when she was young,” he said. “As a girl, the Great Depression uprooted her family. When she was a young mother, her child Hardy died as a toddler. Early in her life, Nancy needed the strength and resilience that would later define her.”