My Life Likeing Bill Russell

Legendary Celtic Bill Russell passed away the other day.  Hundreds of obituaries have been written extolling his greatness as an athlete and his importance as a civil rights activist.  I don't really have anything to add to these conversations -- I am too young to remember Russell's prime years.  But Russell had an impact on me nonetheless.  One of my first attempts to be a writer was a grade school book that I put together (with perhaps typical solipsism) entitled "My Life Likeing Bill Russell."  I present it here as testament to the myriad ways that one man's excellence can serve as an inspiration even to people well outside his orbit.