Dr. Russell Francis Messier

Dr. Russell “Russ” Francis Messier passed away unexpectedly in Nashua, New Hampshire, on October 11, 2024. Russ was born on July 30, 1944, in Nashua, NH, to Arthur and Gertrude (McCoy) Messier. Russ had a happy childhood in Hudson, NH, with his siblings Donald, Douglas, and Diane. Much of what people know of Russ was cultivated during his childhood. From an early age, he was an avid golfer; starting as a caddy for the Nashua Country Club at the age of 10, shooting in the mid-70s as a teenager, and winning the league golf championship as part of the Alvirne High School team. His love

of dancing was sparked during his junior high years where he attended the Friday night dances in town every week. In high school, he played left wing on the school’s soccer team and his senior year he was co-captain. The team made it to the NH State Championship tournament three of the four years he played for the team, placing third, first, and second. He was a hard worker; picking up trash at a local fried clam stand in the early morning hours and delivering papers in the afternoon. But, he would also take time to lie in the grass, look up at the sky fantasizing about the meaning of life and how he could achieve his dreams. At the time of his passing, he was in New Hampshire to attend the Alvirne High School 62nd class reunion of his beloved class of 1962.

Russ understood the importance of education for building a brighter future. Between scholarships, hard work, and $500 from his parents, he attended Northeastern University in Boston, MA, graduating in 1967 with a B.S. degree in electrical engineering. During his college years, he participated in the engineering co-op program. While in his work rotation at Sanders Associates, Russ discovered his love for materials science. Russ then went to Penn State where he earned a Ph.D. in Solid State Science in 1973. He completed his graduate research at the internationally recognized Materials

Research Laboratory at Penn State. From 1968-1969, Russ was elected president of the Graduate Student Association (GSA) during the time of student unrest due to the Vietnam War and Civil Rights movement. Russ attended protests and sit-ins to try to foster understanding between the students and the university administration. These experiences were the birth of Russ’s unwavering commitment to social justice. He would often bring his best friend and chair of the GSA’s social committee, Linda O’Bryant, with him to the protests. Their friendship grew into something more when Linda finally agreed to go on a date with him because she wanted to go for a ride in his 1967 Austin Healey. In true Russ style, before the date, he had to return his brother’s Healey and showed up in his own VW Beetle. To add to his “charm," he requested that she discreetly pay for her half of the dinner bill, but generously covered the entire tip. By the grace of God, Linda was not deterred and they married in 1969. They had two children, Steve (1970) and Tammy (1974), who they raised in State College, PA.

After graduating and working at GTE-Sylvania for two and a half years, Russ returned to Penn State where he had a successful career as a faculty member for over 30 wonderful and fulfilling years. His early work at Penn State focused on thin-film morphology research. At the pinnacle of his career, he discovered a process to grow diamond-like thin films. On September 14, 1986, he was featured on the front page of the New York Times and on March 18, 1987, in the USA Today for his successes. Since Russ had never given Linda a diamond, she thought he should grow her a diamond ring or earrings…something he never did. He was the founding Editor-in-Chief of the international scientific journal, Diamond and Related Materials, and started an international consortium of Diamond-like Materials bringing together research and industry experts. He supervised

28 graduate students and mentored countless faculty members and undergraduate students alike. In fact, while he was honored with many professional awards and recognitions such as the Leroy Randall Grumman Medal for Outstanding Scientific Achievement (1987) and Fellow of the American Vacuum Society (1996), the ones he was most proud of were the Howard B. Palmer Faculty Mentoring Award (2003) and Outstanding

Undergraduate Adviser Award (2004). At the end of his career, he was honored by the Institute of Scientific Information (ISI) in their list of Highly Cited researchers in Materials Science being in the top 0.5% of citations for publications in the field. At his retirement in 2005, he was promoted from full professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics to emeritus rank.

Because of his career, he traveled extensively and when Linda was not teaching Spanish, she was an eager travel partner. In 2003, they lived in Granada, Spain, for 6 months where Russ took a sabbatical at the Universidad de Granada. Russ and Linda have always had an open door policy at their house and often had scientists, students, and friends from all over the country and world staying with them. Russ was famous for inviting people over to the house for dinner and telling Linda about it shortly before they showed up.

Russ had much to be proud of from his distinguished career but his biggest source of pride was his family. His son, Steve, married Heidi Dascher in 1995, and they had sons, Andrew (2001) and Charlie (2003), and his daughter, Tammy, married Thomas Gehrke in 1999, and they had children, Olivia (2002) and Alex (2004). He was so incredibly proud of his grandchildren and their accomplishments, but he especially loved that every year the whole family gathered at their house in Clarksville for fun on the lake. Two of Russ and Linda’s house guests, Greg Barber and Kathy Muhonen, were brought into the family as unofficial “adopted foster kids” and they remain very close.

Russ and Linda led a life on the go, but one constant in their family was an annual vacation at Dunkirk Camp and Conference Center on the shores of Lake Erie in Western NY. For the past 45 years, Russ and Linda have attended Family Camp 2, first going with Steve and Tammy, and more recently attending with their grandchildren. The people and the camp hold a very special place in the whole Messier family's heart. Russ looked forward to attending every year.

Upon retirement, Russ and Linda moved to Clarksville, VA, so that he could spend his retirement traveling with Linda, spending time with his grandchildren, and finally having the time to play golf. Russ quickly became immersed in the community of Clarksville where he and Linda are active members of the Clarksville Presbyterian Church. Through the church, they have been very involved in many community outreach efforts; most notably Backpack Buddies but also the Food Pantry and various other community service activities. Russ was passionate about education and believed that if kids are hungry, their educational experience suffers. Russ’s influence in the Clarksville community was widely felt - he was a mentor for 11 years of the Bluestone Robotics team, a cub reporter for the Mecklenburg Sun writing articles to generate interest in The Complex/YMCA, a DJ for dances at the Kinderton Country Club, and a volunteer at the Clarksville Elementary School. Russ and Linda spent most of their retirement traveling the world and together they have visited 49 states and over 37 countries. They would end one trip dreaming about where the next adventure would take them.

To know Russ was to love Russ. Everywhere he went he had his characteristic big grin, a twinkle in his eye and his eternal optimism. He was often referred to as the “Energizer Bunny” because anything he did, he would do it at full speed and with complete enthusiasm. Russ never knew a stranger and made new best friends everywhere he went. He was kind-hearted, generous, and passionate about social justice. He cared deeply about politics and the world he was leaving to his grandchildren. He loved to dance, drink craft beers, perfect his golf game, and travel extensively - life was a grand adventure. His motto was “the joy is in the journey,” and that is how he lived his life. His greatest love was his wife, Linda. They shared a wonderful, fun, and fulfilling life together with few regrets. This year they celebrated their 55th wedding anniversary. Their love was deep, and they were each other’s best friend.

A service in Witness to the Resurrection and in Celebration of his life will be held on Saturday, November 23, 2024, at 2:00 pm at Clarksville Presbyterian Church, The Rev. Annette Eckerd Goard, officiating.

There will also be a celebration of Russ’s life at Dunkirk Camp and Conference Center.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests you consider a donation in Russell Messier’s memory to one of the following:

The Russell Messier Memorial Scholarship at Alvirne High School Alvirne High School

200 Derry Rd.

Hudson, NH 03051

Memo: Russ Messier Scholarship

Dunkirk Camp and Conference Center www.dunkirkcc.com

3602 Lake Shore Dr. Dunkirk, NY 14048

Backpack Buddies

Clarksville Presbyterian Church

P.O. Box 717

Clarksville, VA 23927

Payable to: Clarksville Presbyterian Church Memo: Backpack Buddies

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