Reflections

This is really difficult but necessary to do. Tyring to find the words and sort out all the stories one could tell about a person  you've know for 23 years. Yes, 23 years. I was 13 when I and a handfull of others first met him at the original location of The Book Broker (Division and Weinbach). We were still in grade school at the time. We would ride our bikes there to go through comic books,  novels, cards, ect. We would come in and there he would sit, in the same spot everytime, sorting through crates of albums. He would tell us stories about the two jobs he was working (whirlpool and chesea's) concerts he's seen and whatever else came to mind. For the longest time, I thought his name was Tom Woe (whoa!) because everyone there just called him Woe. When he told me Woe was not his last name, I didn't believe him and when he did tell me what it was, I laughed because I thought he made it up. He finally convienced me he was telling the truth. Fast forward several years later when I obtain a part time job at Chelsea's. I come in the door for work and there he sits in his chair in the back 20 some odd minutes before his shift was to start. He was just as suprised to see me as I was him. We worked there for 7 1/2 years. Great times, lasting friendships established and lots of parties. Russell was the one person who would take the youth under his wing so to speak. A great deal of the musical influence in my life was because of him. He exposed me to groups such as Pink Flyod, Lynard Skynard, The Who, and countless others from the 60's and 70's. He always had an interest in music and liked to stay current with it. I think part of him was able to do that through the adolesences he was around. The exchange of music and information went both ways. He never stopped doing this. Case in point, he attend the Ozzfest with myself and my little brother in 1998. I tried to tell him he probably wouldn't like the other bands there and it would be 12 hours before Ozzy came out for his set. He wanted to go to see some of those bands he's heard others speak about. He may not have enjoyed himself as much as he said but he did go to experience it for himself. After I left Chelsea's to take the job at Stockwell, we continued to keep in touch over the years. What usually happens when people part ways over the years, they continue to drift apart and the contacts are rare. Russell was the one who stayed in touch with myself and others over the years. He would be the one to pick up the phone to call and say hi. I'm just as guilty as the next person for not keeping in touch with others. Thankfully, he wasn't like that too. The night he called me to tell me the news of his situation, he told me to sit down because it was bad. I had no idea how had or how quickly things would turn for the worst. It was 5 days from the time he called me to the time he pasted away. I was able to visit with him or talk to him on the phone 4 out of those 5 days. I tried to contact as may people as I could during that time but I couldn't get everyone. Things happend so quickly it didn't seem real. Part of me still thinks he's going to call me at home some night but I know that this won't happen. I dreamed of him the other night. In my dream, I was in a car with many mutaul friends (I was sitting in the back seat). As we drove away, I looked back through the window and saw Russell walking along the hillside. He stopped, turned to the car and waved. I yelled to stop the car, that he was back there waving to us and that he was ok., nothing happend to him but eveyone in the car turned a deaf ear. As we drove away, he smiled, waved at me one last time and turned and walked away. I awoke from this dream crying. I'm crying now as I type this. Part of me in away believes it really was Russell in my dream telling me good-bye and that everything is o.k. He's happy, he's accepted it and has moved on. I would also like to think that he has continued his "duties" of taking the souls of the youth that have and will continue to join him, under his wing and guide them as he guided so many of us through the years. Tom Russell, you will always be in my thoughts. Thank you for all you've done for me.

Sincerely,

Ron Wells

Tom and Paul at Paul's 28th birthday party