Dear Shelling Friends,
I was very sorry to have just heard of Russ Jensen's passing when Gertrude
Moller of Jacksonville told me that sad news at our Astronaut Trail Shell
Show this past weekend.  Although I rarely ran into Russ, I was always very
impressed by his smile (wry, almost impish), his friendliness and knowledge
of shells.  When I lived in the St. Louis area, I first met Russ when he
judged our St. Louis Shell Club show in 1974.  When Bill Clench at the last
minute could not judge our show because of a cataract operation, Russ
quickly agreed to fill in, and we enjoyed him so much we had him back as
judge.  I enjoyed showing Russ and Dotty the Missouri Botanical Garden, our
premier research botanical institution in St. Louis, which they enjoyed and
where they talked about their nursery business.  Russ always was so happy to
talk about being with the Delaware Museum, where he said he was able to play
with shells every day.  He said that with such boyish enthusiasm that you
knew he was very happy to be associated with the Museum.  At one program
where he was showing slides of a collecting trip in the south Pacific where
he was alone on a vast expanse of shallow coral reef, he said he felt so at
home that he collected that day "as God had intended" sans bathing attire.
When I saw him last at the Jacksonville COA, I started to reintroduce myself
as it had been several years since we talked, and he immediately remembered
me.  Shell enthusiasts are a wonderful group, and those such as Russ were
great ambassadors.  We mourn his passing.

Alan Gettleman
Merritt Island, Florida
----- Original Message -----
From: "Pearce, Timothy" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, January 21, 2002 11:15 PM
Subject: Russell H. Jensen passed away


> Many of us have laughed at Russ Jensen's jokes, and enjoyed his pleasant
> nature. I send you this message from his daughter Gail Jensen.
>
>
> Russell H. Jensen, passed away on December 29, 2001, in Phoenix AZ after a
> month long illness.  He had recently moved to Phoenix, AZ from Chadds
Ford,
> PA to be near family.
>
> Russ played many roles during his 30 years of service with the Delaware
> Museum of Natural History, most recently as Mollusk Department Head
Emeritus
> and volunteer. His life-long work, "Marine Mollusks of Bermuda: Checklist
> and Bibliography", is currently awaiting publication as DMNH Monograph
> Series No. 5.  As a United States Army Staff Sergeant, he became
interested
> in shells while stationed in Bermuda during WWII.  After the war, he
> traveled the Caribbean and South Pacific collecting shells and judging
shell
> shows across the country.
>
> Russ was known for his rampant enthusiasm, boundless energy, enchanting
> sense of humor and the ability to come up with a joke, pun or limerick for
> every occasion.  He joyfully collected everything: knowledge, books,
natural
> history specimens, recipes, e-mail jokes and friends. He had a sizable
> collection of dolphin figurines and planned to "come back" and swim the
> oceans as one.  A self-proclaimed "sociable introvert," he loved people
and
> being with his friends to enjoy a good meal and conversation.  He worked
in
> his vegetable and lily gardens, loved to cook, studied Mayan civilization,
> performed wonders in his basement woodworking, made silver jewelry, cut
> semi-precious gemstones and dreamed of, designed and invented many useful
> "gadgets."  He was a true Renaissance Man.
>
> Russ owned a florist/nursery business from 1950 until 1970 in Bloomfield,
> NJ, with his with wife, Dorothy Haarde Jensen. He was born in E. Orange,
NJ.
> Russ was pre-deceased by his wife Dot, and is survived by his son Gary and
> his wife Betty of Phoenix AZ, his daughter, Gail and her husband Barry
Kayes
> and granddaughter, Dana, of Charlottesville, VA, and his collection of
many
> friends.
>
>
> Your memories, pictures and anecdotes about Russ are welcome. You many
send
> them to [log in to unmask]  In lieu of flowers, contributions may be
> made to The Russell H. and Dorothy H. Jensen Memorial Fund, in care of the
> Delaware Museum of Natural History, P.O. Box 3937, Wilmington, DE 19807.