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ogo is not available for use on allaterials. Beyond the Department ofis logo is limited to gameday-relatedotional items for student recruitmentdent Affairs.this logo on any communicationssements, social media graphicsms must be granted by bothletics and the Office of UniversityRussellstheTell us about your family.Ronald Russell, age 60, USM Class of 1984, CPA. Hobbies include USM sports, Saintsfootball, Reds baseball, and Celtics basketball! Monica Russell, age 59, USM Class of1983, office manager. Hobbies include reading and teaching tap dancing at RidgelandRecreation and Parks. Audra Russell, age 30, USM Class of 2013, 2nd grade teacherat Benedict Day School. Hobbies include fitness training and running. Avery Russell,age 24, USM Class of 2019, buyer at Forrest General Hospital. Hobbies include readingand baking. Adele Russell, age 20, USM Class of 2023, student at USM! Hobbiesinclude tennis and playing cards with friends.How did you meet and how long have you been married?We met in 1981 when we were both juniors at USM. We were neighbors in an apartmentcomplex and became friends, played softball, and bowled together. We began our firstjobs, Ronald, a CPA in Natchez, and Monica, an insurance agent in Bay St. Louis anddated long distance for three years, then moved to Jackson in 1986. We made the moveto Ridgeland two years later, then built our forever home in Madison County in 1994.We have been married for 35 years.What brings you the greatest joy as a parent?The greatest joy we have experienced as parents has been watching our girls grow intoconfident, caring, and moral adults. They all work hard to fulfill their goals. All threefollowed in our footsteps and went to USM. They each received alumni and otherscholarships. The older two have graduated and the youngest is halfway there!What are some of your favorite things about Madison County?All three of our girls graduated from Madison Central. Being a close-knit community,many of their school friends were also their church friends. We are long-term membersof Broadmoor Baptist Church and have lived in the Ingleside subdivision in MadisonCounty for 27 years. We say we’re blessed that we are in the “country” but still close tothe city! Madison is truly a melting pot of people from other parts of the state. Ronaldwas originally from Jones County and Monica from Bay St. Louis but we all considerMadison our home.What makes you love your college team?We love Southern Miss because it is truly a family of fans. This “family” stays with theteams through thick and thin. Winning seasons are a bonus as we are loyal to our teamand will attend football and other sporting events regardless of the win/loss record.As Avery told a dean in a scholarship interview, USM is the “family business!” Adele’sfriends joke that they can always spot our cars around Madison because we all haveUSM license plates. We have had football season tickets for 36 years and Ronald hasonly missed one home game in 38 years—when Avery was born! The Russell family alsoconsiders the city of Hattiesburg part of the package. We bought a house in Hattiesburg15 years ago in anticipation of all three of our girls attending USM. To our delight, allthree girls have gone to Southern Miss and have lived at “Camp Russell” in Hattiesburg.We have been blessed to host many USM pre-game celebrations at our home awayfrom home! SMTTT!FAVORITE TAILGATE RECIPEFireside Dip• ½ cup mayo• 8 oz. cream cheese, softened• 4 oz. Swiss cheese, shredded• 2 Tbsp. dried onion flakes• 3 oz. real bacon bitsMix all ingredients except bacon bits.Put in a small baking dish and sprinklethe top with bacon bits. Bake at 350for 20 minutes. Serve with wheatthins. (This recipe was shared withAdele on the school bus when shewas in 6th grade–Thanks Tyler!)Hometown MADISON • 23