Alabama pioneer in nursing field honored with scholarship

The Betty Russell Memorial Nursing Endowed Scholarship honors the legacy of a hardworking pioneer in the nursing field. The scholarship was created in Betty Russell’s honor for nursing majors on the Troy campus who are married or single parents.  

When Russell was set to start her nursing school journey at St. Margaret’s, she was denied attendance because she was married.  However, she was determined to enter the field, and a few years later, completed her degree with straight A’s.  

She went on to work in Crenshaw County as the director of nursing, as well as at the Crenshaw and Pike County Health Departments. Additionally, Russell served as a professor at Troy University for 27 years.  

“She never applied for a job,” said Thomas Russell, Betty’s husband of 72 years. “They called her.” 

According to Mr. Russell, Betty traveled often to different cities to learn all that she could, always working to improve herself and her nursing practice.  

When Crenshaw Community Hospital was in its early days, it did not have a defibrillator. 

“Betty went to Birmingham, stayed for three weeks, and learned how to use it,” Mr. Russell said.  

She then brought this knowledge back to Crenshaw County and was one of the first people in the county with the knowledge and training to use a defibrillator. She shared this knowledge with others.  

Furthermore, according to Betty’s granddaughter Jessica Holmes Ellis, she was integral in bringing American Heart Association resources to Crenshaw County. 

“She was also one of the first in this area to educate people about HIV and AIDS,” Ellis said.  

According to Mr. Russell, she was ahead of her time riding in the ambulance, which was considered dangerous at the time, and once even riding in a helicopter with a patient. 

During her time at the health department, she advocated for financial support for patients needing treatment in the community, as well as helping where she could.  

“She kept a truck full of clothes, food and everything else,” Mr. Russell said.  

When Russell was finishing her master's degree, she received the offer to become a professor at Troy University.  

Ellis described accompanying her grandmother to simulation days at the school of nursing alongside her brother, pretending to have a broken arm or leg in need of treatment.  

“I remember being a little girl coming to participate,” Ellis said. “This was when I was little, so I grew up in the school of nursing, running around.” 

According to Russell’s husband and granddaughter, her students saw her as hard but fair, and she instilled in each of them how honorable nursing is.  

“She would talk to you just like she would to me,” Ellis said. 

When she wasn’t working, Betty, known affectionately as “Bah” to her family, enjoyed camping, sewing and working with her church.  

Russell will continue to be remembered for her determination and dedication to the betterment of the nursing field. Her commitment to educating future generations of nurses will live through her memorial scholarship.