Donald Andrew Frank Moore Russell, (13 October 1920 – 9 February 2020) was a British

classicist Classics, also classical studies or Ancient Greek and Roman studies, is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, ''classics'' traditionally refers to the study of Ancient Greek literature, Ancient Greek and Roman literature and ...

and academic. He was Professor of Classical Literature at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

between 1985 and 1988, and a

fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

and tutor of classics at

St John's College, Oxford St John's College is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded as a men's college in 1555, it has been coeducational since 1979.Communication from Michael Riordan, college archivist Its foun ...

, from 1948 to 1988: he was an

emeritus professor ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...

and emeritus fellow. Russell died in February 2020 at the age of 99.

Early life and education

Russell was born on 13 October 1920 in

Wandsworth Wandsworth Town () is a district of south London, within the London Borough of Wandsworth southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Toponymy Wandsworth takes its name ...

, London, England. His parents were Samuel Charles Russell (1878–1979) and Laura Moore (1876–1966), both school teachers, who had married in 1912. His father saw service during the First World War in the

Royal Flying Corps The Royal Flying Corps (RFC) was the air arm of the British Army before and during the First World War until it merged with the Royal Naval Air Service on 1 April 1918 to form the Royal Air Force. During the early part of the war, the RFC sup ...

. Russell was educated at

King's College School King's College School, also known as Wimbledon, KCS, King's and KCS Wimbledon, is a Private schools in the United Kingdom, private Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Wimbledon, London, Wimbledon, southwest London, England. The s ...

, a

private school A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a State school, public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their fina ...

Wimbledon, London Wimbledon () is a suburb of southwest London, England, southwest of Charing Cross; it is the main commercial centre of the London Borough of Merton. Wimbledon had a population of 68,189 in 2011 which includes the electoral wards of Abbey, Wimb ...

. In December 1938, he was awarded a scholarship to study classics at

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and aro ...

. His college tutors were W. S. Watt and Roger Mynors. He took

Honour Moderations Honour Moderations (or ''Mods'') are a set of examinations at the University of Oxford at the end of the first part of some degree courses (e.g., Greats or '' Literae Humaniores''). Honour Moderations candidates have a class awarded (hence the ...

in June 1940, and then studied ancient history and philosophy as part of '' Greats'' from 1940 to 1941. His studies were interrupted when he was called-up for military service.

Wartime service

Russell served in the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

: first in the

Royal Corps of Signals The Royal Corps of Signals (often simply known as the Royal Signals – abbreviated to R SIGNALS) is one of the combat support arms of the British Army. Signals units are among the first into action, providing the battlefield communications an ...

from 1941 to 1943, then in the Intelligence Corps from 1943 to 1945. In the Signals, he trained as a wireless operator. In 1943, he transferred to the Intelligence Corps and was sent on a crash course in Japanese at the secret Bedford Japanese School run by Captain Oswald Tuck RN. He was on the 3rd Bedford course (January to April 1943) and achieved the best results in the final examination.Peter Kornicki, ''Captain Oswald Tuck and the Bedford Japanese School, 1942-1945'' (London: Pollino Publishing, 2019). He was subsequently posted to the Japanese Military Attaché Section at

Bletchley Park Bletchley Park is an English country house and Bletchley Park estate, estate in Bletchley, Milton Keynes (Buckinghamshire), that became the principal centre of Allies of World War II, Allied World War II cryptography, code-breaking during the S ...

and became Senior Translator there. Having achieved the rank of

lance corporal Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many English-speaking armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organisations. It is below the rank of corporal. Etymology The presumed origin of the rank of lance corp ...

in the other ranks, he was granted an immediate emergency commission in the Intelligence Corps on 3 May 1944 in the rank of second lieutenant.

Academic career

From 1948 to 1988, he was a

Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

, of which he was subsequently an emeritus fellow. As of October 2013, Russell was just the third fellow in the history of St John's to have reached the 65 year anniversary milestone of his election to the fellowship. From 1952 to 1978, he was a university lecturer in classical literature at the

. He was Reader in Classical Literature from 1978 to 1985, and

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

of Classical Literature from 1985 to 1988. In 1981, he delivered the J H Gray Lectures at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

. He was a

visiting professor In academia, a visiting scholar, visiting scientist, visiting researcher, visiting fellow, visiting lecturer, or visiting professor is a scholar from an institution who visits a host university to teach, lecture, or perform research on a topic fo ...

at the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the Public university, public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referre ...

in 1985 and from 1989 to 1991, a visiting professor at

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

Published works

* Russell, Donald (1964). ''Longinus On the Sublime'',

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

Clarendon Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

. * Russell, Donald (1972). ''Plutarch'', London: Duckworth. * Russell, Donald; and M Winterbottom (1972). ''Ancient Literary Criticism'',

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the publishing house of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world. Its first book was printed in Oxford in 1478, with the Press officially granted the legal right to print books ...

. * Russell, Donald (1981). ''Criticism in Antiquity'', London: Duckworth. * Russell, Donald; and N G Wilson (1981). ''Menander Rhetor'', London: Duckworth. * Russell, Donald (1983). ''Greek Declamation'',

Cambridge University Press Cambridge University Press was the university press of the University of Cambridge. Granted a letters patent by King Henry VIII in 1534, it was the oldest university press in the world. Cambridge University Press merged with Cambridge Assessme ...

. * Russell, Donald (1990). ''Anthology of Latin Prose'', Oxford: Clarendon Press. * Russell, Donald (1991). ''Anthology of Greek Prose'', Oxford: Clarendon Press. * Russell, Donald (1992). ''Dio Chrysostom, Orations 7, 12, 36'', Cambridge University Press. * Russell, Donald (1993). ''

Plutarch Plutarch (; , ''Ploútarchos'', ; – 120s) was a Greek Middle Platonist philosopher, historian, biographer, essayist, and priest at the Temple of Apollo (Delphi), Temple of Apollo in Delphi. He is known primarily for his ''Parallel Lives'', ...

: Selected Essays and Dialogues'', Oxford University Press. * Russell, Donald (1996). ''Libanius: Imaginary Speeches'', London: Duckworth. * Russell, Donald (2001). ''Quintilian: The orator’s education (Loeb Translation)'',

Harvard University Press Harvard University Press (HUP) is an academic publishing house established on January 13, 1913, as a division of Harvard University. It is a member of the Association of University Presses. Its director since 2017 is George Andreou. The pres ...

. * Russell, Donald; and D Konstan (2005). ''

Heraclitus Heraclitus (; ; ) was an Ancient Greece, ancient Greek Pre-Socratic philosophy, pre-Socratic philosopher from the city of Ephesus, which was then part of the Achaemenid Empire, Persian Empire. He exerts a wide influence on Western philosophy, ...

: Homeric problems'', Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature. * Russell, Donald; and R Hunter (2011). ''Plutarch: How to Study Poetry'', Cambridge University Press. * Russell, Donald; Dillon, J and Gertz, S (2012). ''Aeneas of Gaza: Theophrastus with Zacharias of Mytilene: Ammonius (Ancient Commentators on Aristotle)'', Bristol Classical Press. 978-1780932095

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Donald 1920 births 2020 deaths British classical scholars Fellows of St John's College, Oxford Alumni of Balliol College, Oxford Classical scholars of the University of Oxford Scholars of Latin literature Scholars of ancient Greek literature Royal Corps of Signals soldiers Fellows of the British Academy Intelligence Corps officers People from Wandsworth People educated at King's College School, London British Army personnel of World War II