A LIFE LIVED CLOSE TO THE LAND : RENAISSANCE MAN'S LOCAL ROOTS GO DEEP.Byline: Victoria Giraud Mountain climber climb·er n. 1. One that climbs, especially a person who climbs mountains. 2. Sports A device, such as a crampon, used in mountain climbing. 3. A plant that climbs. 4. , cowpuncher and artist, Russ Huse can recall few dull moments in his 80-plus years. Russ also happens to be a part of the Russell family Russell family English Whig family. It first became prominent under the Tudors, when John Russell (died 1555) was created earl of Bedford (1549) for helping suppress a rebellion against the Protestant reforms of Edward VI. that owned the ranch on which Westlake Village was developed. ``I spent a lot of time out here as a youngster. My mother liked to see her parents, and it was a great playground for their errant er·rant adj. 1. Roving, especially in search of adventure: knights errant. 2. Straying from the proper course or standards: errant youngsters. 3. boy, which I was,'' Russ chuckled. In the 1880s, Andrew Russell Andrew Russell may refer to:
 sûn`), perennial leguminous plant (Medicago sativa .
The management of the ranch eventually passed to J.H. ``Joe'' Russell, Russ' uncle. Russ remembers the nearly three-hour drive from his Glendale family home with his mother, Eleanor, and fondly recalls the time he spent with his grandfather, an ``affectionate, great personality.'' Andrew would take the young Russ on hikes through the mountains and along Triunfo Creek, then a 200-foot-wide gully, and they'd have picnics under the orchard near the current Cisco's restaurant. As he grew older - 11 and 12 - Russ participated in the cattle drives of about 800 head up Westlake Canyon to Simi. After the drive, cowboys slept overnight on their saddle blankets before riding home to the ranch. ``Working the cattle was fun. I was the de-horner for the 2-year-olds, and I'd take them up into the corrals for branding.'' Russ spent more than a year living on the ranch and attended the local one-room schoolhouse as a elementary school elementary school: see school. student. A teacher was recruited from the Los Angeles school The Los Angeles School of Urbanism is an academic movement emerged during the mid-1980s, loosely based at the University of Southern California and UCLA, that poses a challenge to the dominant Chicago School of Urbanism. district for the 10 or so students. ``Grandmother recruited kids to keep the school alive,'' Russ recalled. After those early years, life had other plans for Russ. When he graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles UCLA comprises the College of Letters and Science (the primary undergraduate college), seven professional schools, and five professional Health Science schools. Since 2001, UCLA has enrolled over 33,000 total students, and that number is steadily rising. , he tried his hand at being a park ranger A park ranger is a person charged with protecting and preserving protected parklands, forests (then called a forest ranger), wilderness areas, as well as other natural resources and protected cultural resources. at Yosemite but ``got tired of five, six weeks alone in the mountain woods.'' During World War II he worked as a technical illustrator for a company building concrete ships. In 1951 he became a technical illustrator for the Naval Weapons Center in China Lake. Russ and his wife, Edith, who also worked there, stayed with the center until 1974, when they retired and moved to Westlake Village. Working with the Boy Scouts as his son was growing up in Ridgecrest spurred Russ' interest in climbing. ``We went on a lot of climbs and hikes together,'' he recalled. He has 160 peaks to his credit, and his interest spiraled into the founding of a mountain rescue group that still operates, saving people all over California, other parts of the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. and Mexico. Retirement has been a busy time for the Huses, who've been married 60 years. They maintain a lovely garden on their hilltop home and are active in community groups. Russ has been a member of Westlake Village Rotary for 32 years, contributing his artistic talents. Russ still hikes local mountains and is writing a novel, ``The Summit Beyond,'' from a 20-year-old's point of view. The account is based on his experiences climbing Mt. McKinley. He's already sold some of his poetry and short stories as well as some of his paintings of the local mountains. ``My primary interest in life is writing, not selling,'' Russ reflects. ``I want to keep on with the writing and the painting. I don't seem to have lost any of my reflexes.'' CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: (color) Russ Huse's back yard overlooks Westlake Vil lage. Still a hiker, he's writing a novel about climbing. Tina Gerson/Daily News |
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