After hearing the sad news about the death of actress Jane Russell, a friend asked me about another glamorous icon: “Whatever happened to Lynne Russell?”
He and I were huge fans of Ms. Russell when she was an evening anchor on CNN’s Headline News years ago, and it was a sad day when she left the network.
Since I have a little extra time these days, I did some investigating. Ms. Russell is a woman of many talents.
In addition to being a fine broadcast journalist, she is a licensed private investigator and was a deputy sheriff in Georgia, according to the bio on her official site. She holds two black belts in the martial art Choi Kwang Do, and is author of the wonderfully titled book, “How to Win Friends, Kick Ass, and Influence People.” (I’ll bet it’s got some useful tips for job seekers!)
Now we can add “entrepreneur” to her long list of accomplishments, as she is starting a new company. Her new venture, Benevento Lampshade Co., sells hand-sewn lampshades in the Italian “old country tradition.” And they are sewn by Lynne herself! Is there nothing she can’t do?
I wish her the best in this new professional chapter (though I’d love to see her back at CNN). She is an inspiration to career-switchers everywhere.
