Frank C. Russell*

Born in 1899 in Toledo, Ohio, Frank Russell went to work at the age of nine after his father's death. He sold newspapers, clerked in a store, and hawked vegetables from a peddler's cart. In the summer, he worked as a busboy in a resort hotel.

By age 16, Russell was the youngest manager of Ohio's Commodore Hotel, which he bought before he discovered its bankrupt status. He then went to work as a traveling salesman. In 1925, he organized the National Felt Insulation Company. Following the 1929 stock market crash, he sold partial interest in the company and joined Standard Lime and Stone Company.

In 1937, he established F. C. Russell Company in Cleveland. It became the world's largest manufacturer of metal combination screen and storm windows. An ardent yachtsman, he founded the Great Oak Lodge, a private yacht and country club on the Chesapeake Bay.