Russell, Richard Joel

Richard Joel Russell, (born Nov. 16, 1895, Hayward, Calif., U.S.—died Sept. 17, 1971, Baton Rouge, La.), geologist known for his studies of coastal morphology. He was a professor of geology at Texas Technological College (Lubbock) from 1926 until 1928, when he joined the faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agriculture and Mechanical College (Baton Rouge), where he was dean of the graduate school in 1949–63; he was also director of the Coastal Studies Institute from 1954 until 1966, when he became its principal investigator. His research includes studies of the arid climates of the United States; mountain structures of the western U.S. deltas, floodplains, and seacoasts; and the origin of loess (wind-deposited soil). He wrote Culture Worlds (1951) and River Plains and Sea Coasts (1967).