Friday, August 23, 2024
A dedication will be held on Friday, Aug. 30 to recognize Ronnie Russell at the Gatesville Independent School District transportation office. The service will begin at 2 p.m.
Ronnie Russell graduated from Jonesboro High School in 1967 and attended Howard Payne University on a baseball scholarship. He played semi-pro baseball even after his college graduation.
In 1973, he began a career in education which lasted 50 years. He spent his initial year at the State School for Boys, while the rest of his career was dedicated to the students at Gatesville Independent School District.
Coach Russell predominantly worked with sixth through eighth grade students. Early in his tenure, he dedicated his time as a girls coach at Gatesville Junior High School. However, it was sixth grade P.E. and health where he spent the majority of his career teaching.
In May of 2013, he retired with 39 years of teaching experience. Although, this would not be the end of his career since he continued driving a bus for an additional 10 years.
In 2023, Coach Russell completed 50 years in education with all his time served at Gatesville ISD.
