I met Russ at the Confederate Air Force in 1977 where he was working as a mechanic and I was just a ramp-rat. He'd been a helicopter machanic in Viet Nam - I think on Hueys and his home town was Tulsa, Oklahoma.

It's a long shot back in time but this place can work miracles. Any leads?

Have you tried contacting the CAF? -= COMMEMORATIVE AIR FORCE =- (http://www.commemorativeairforce.org/)

Of course, that was the first place I tried but they didn't even have the decency to acknowledge my e-mails (2).
Southern courtesy obviously isn't what it used to be.

Hmm - that's surprising, and disappointing :(

Do you know if he was in the Army or the Air Force? Might it be worth contacting them? Or the VFW VFW - Veterans of Foreign Wars USA (http://www.vfw.org/)

Did a quick google search for Mr Russell & CAF & came up with this. Not much help but...

FindACase™ | HOWARD E. PARDUE AND JIMMIE R. MCMILLAN v. CONFEDERATE AIR FORCE AND MALCOLM D. RUSSELL (12/18/80) (http://tx.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.19801218_0041900.TX.htm/qx)

Ferny, good result! Malcolm D Russell is the man I'm looking for so it looks as if Pardue sued The CAF and Russ for something - probably related to his aircraft though at this remove I don't recall which he owned. (He seems to have a Wildcat now - surely wouldn't be the same one that was at Harlingen in '77?) I think Russ was Air Force but he wasn't too communicative about it and oddly I wasn't that curious at the time.
I'll follow up that Vets link and maybe give the CAF another try.

Meantime maybe someone else can provide a further link?