A Legacy of Art – Russ & Carol Albright

Russ was a talented and prolific artist who loved painting, sketching, designing, and sculpting. His first career was teaching high school drafting, math, and shop. Later in life, he took up sculpting after seeing a piece in a gallery that he wanted to buy but couldn’t afford. When his wife gave him a piece of rock to carve, some sculpting tools, and a series of sculpting classes, his second career began. Many of Russ’ sculptures were featured in Laguna Beach and Palm Springs art galleries.

Carol says, “When Russ was diagnosed with MCI, I felt that my experience working with seniors had already prepared me for dealing with his condition, but his neurologist encouraged us to attend the Early Memory Loss class at Alzheimer’s Orange County. After that class, we were invited to Our Gang where we met so many nice people and Russ got a lot out of the discussion group. Even though Russ was very shy, he became more comfortable talking with other people about his struggles and expressing his feelings. He also learned techniques to help him cope with his declining memory. For me, I learned so much from others in the group and was able to provide support to others. Then we started attending the Connect 2 Culture activities.

The “Timeless Melodies” programs at the Bowers Museum were wonderful. We both loved the music and dancing programs. We took advantage of everything we could. COVID limited what we could do but we kept going. Memories in the Making was a nice outlet for him. He couldn’t do sculpting anymore but he loved painting. We even worked together on some pieces. And now, even though Russ has passed away, I continue to participate. I love the art sessions. Listening to nice music and focusing on the painting has been so relaxing. I’ve so appreciated all the care and support that I’ve received from all the staff. I’ve even decided to become a volunteer art facilitator with Memories in the Making!”

Read a story from the Daily Pilot about Russ’ wife Carol and their participation in our Memories in the Making program here.