People knew about Semp Russ and were glad he called San Antonio home, long before he had ever heard of the Area Foundation. This starting back’s football team at the University of Texas achieved a 17-3 mark the three seasons he played and he was a member of the unbeaten, untied University of Texas team of 1900. Sixty-nine years later, he was inducted into the Texas Longhorns Hall of Fame. Slightly less known is that he played doubles for the U.S. tennis team in the 1904 Olympics.

His athletic achievements were mirrored later in his business and community life and he remained active in San Antonio’s business and civic community well beyond normal retirement age. The story of Semp Russ is one of a community foundation put to the best possible use. Russ was a man with a zest for living and a generous sense of community. Born in Louisiana in 1878, he died a few months short of his 100th birthday, after coming to San Antonio in 1890 and living here most of his very active and successful life. A lawyer by profession, he went into the oil business with his brother and became a very successful operator, presiding over his interests in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and elsewhere from the Milam Building in downtown San Antonio.