I would like to adjourn tonight’s meeting in memory of Russell T. Cochran, who was a longtime resident of Santa Clarita and recently passed away at the age of 86.
Born on March 27, 1932, in Ontario, California, Russ had a deep love for music early on.
He learned to play the violin at a young age, and enjoyed singing.
Russ then became a pilot and worked as an aircraft mechanic.
He also enlisted in the Army in 1950, and served as a combat medic in Japan.
Russ earned his GED before attending both Chaffey College and Long Beach State.
In 1955, he began a career in education after earning his PhD in School Administration from USC.
He was a teacher and principal in a number of schools throughout the state, before joining the Saugus Union School District where he worked for 24 years.
He was an advocate for many different groups in Santa Clarita.
In addition to founding the Santa Clarita Valley Community Health Council in 1972, he was also Founder and President of the Board of Directors for the Coalition on Substance Abuse.
Russ was a founder of the SCV Senior Center and served on the board of the Boys and Girls Club, the Child and Family Center, the Committee on Aging and many more.
A twist of fate brought Russ together with his lovely wife Barbara, who hosts the popular Senior Hour program on our Hometown Station KHTS.
The two worked together on a funding proposal for a clinic that would assist drug addicts and ended up going on a date in the 1970s.
More than 20 years later, they were married in 1996.
Over the years, Russ and Barbara enjoyed traveling the world together – bringing back stories of their adventures to share with family and friends.
We are saddened by the passing of Russ Cochran and our thoughts are with Barbara, their family and their friends during this difficult time.