Sir Doctor Russell Betts

SIR RUSSELL H. BETTS, PhD Sir Russell H. Betts, conservationist and adventurer, slid through the crack of dawn on March 3, 2019, in Santa Fe, New Mexico, at the age of 79. Russ was born March 28, 1939, in Evanston, Illinois, to Richard Betts and Marjorie Bell Betts. He was raised in Montana’s Bitterroot Valley where he learned from his pioneering grandfather how to be comfortable in the wild, and from his piano-playing father how to love music. Russ’s academic path included a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University (’61), a master’s degree from the University of Hawaii where he was affiliated with the East-West Center (’64), and a doctorate in political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (’76). Russ’s life was driven by a passion for people, cultures and wildlife. He was a man of action, a doer and an organizer, a builder, a traveler and a musician. He was a believer in doing the right thing, and in making a difference. While working for RAND in Vietnam in 1966-67, Russ courageously authored an early report on the grievous effects of chemical defoliants, a paper which later helped Vietnam veterans claim compensation for the effects of Agent Orange. He loved Southeast Asia and dedicated his early career to international development in Indonesia, working for over a decade for The Asia Foundation in both their Jakarta and San Francisco offices. During this era, he traveled extensively throughout Indonesia and the South Pacific, and became a collector of both primitive art and traveler’s tales. Russ later served as the director of the World Wide Fund for Nature Indonesia Program, and worked tirelessly to save species, safeguard habitat, and otherwise support the Indonesian government in protecting ten percent of its land and seas. In 1996, Russ was knighted by Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands into the Order of the Golden Ark for his dedicated conservation work in Indonesia. Russ came to New Mexico in 1998 to be with his Stanford sweetheart, artist and author Noël Bennett. They lived first in the Jemez Mountains and then settled in Santa Fe where they established a successful vacation rental business and renovated several historic adobe homes. Russ’s last large project was to pen his memoirs, The Incredible and Inevitable Life of Sir Doktor Russell Betts, which documents his legacy. Equally comfortable in the company of presidents and princes as market vendors and tribesmen, Russ loved people and was inspired to connect with them all. He drank scotch with Henry Kissinger while in Vietnam; and he toured tropical jungles and talked biodiversity with His Royal Highness, Prince Philip of England in Indonesia. He befriended cannibals and slept on the rattan floor of their Bornean longhouse, and he danced on the high seas of Savu with Bugis pirates. He was curious, confident, personable, passionate and playful. Russ is survived by his partner, Noël Bennett, of Santa Fe; his two daughters, Karin Betts (and Anthony Bennet) and Karla Betts (and Jurandir DeMenezes, Jr.); his grandson Oliver DeMenezes; and his ex-wife Ardith Betts. He will be sorely missed by all, including his caregivers in Santa Fe: Paul Azbarea, Breege O’Reilly, the Sierra Vista Retirement Community, and others whose lives he touched in recent years. The family will be holding a private memorial. In lieu of flowers, please send donations in Russ’s memory to the Alzheimer’s Association.