About Us

The Russel Hill Cancer Foundation:

In 1816, Lieutenant Colonel Albert Russel, a Revolutionary War veteran moved his family to Huntsville, Alabama. Russel's family resided on a 900 acre plantation west of Huntsville and named it "Russel Hill." Today, Russel Hill is the geographic location of the Clearview Cancer Institute and Russel Hill Cancer Foundation.

In May of 2006, a group of oncologists, local researchers and interested citizens met to discuss ways of assisting cancer patients, their families and the community. From this group meeting, the Russel Hill Cancer Foundation was formed. The Foundation is committed to improving the health of the cancer patients by supporting bold, innovative cancer research, education and patient assistance. The Foundation is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization.

History of the Russel Family:

Albert Russel, born in Pennsylvania on May 25, 1755, moved to Loudon County, Virginia as a boy. On December 9, 1776, Russel enlisted in the 8th Regiment of the Virginia Troops during the Revolutionary War. Albert climbed to the rank of First Lieutenant Colonel by December 15, 1779, a position he would hold until retiring from service in January of 1783. In 1807, Russel and his wife Anne Francis Harris moved their family to Maury County, Tennessee, and afterwards Huntsville, Alabama where he lived on Russel Hill and became a planter. Albert Russel Erskine died in Huntsville in 1818, two years after moving to Huntsville, and was buried in Maple Hill Cemetery, where an imposing monument adorns his grave.

Albert Russel and Anne Francis Harris gave birth to a daughter, Susan Catherine Russel, in 1805. Susan Catherine married Dr. Alexander Erskine in 1819 at the age of fourteen. Dr. Erskine's grandson Albert Russel Erskine was born in Huntsville, Alabama on January 24, 1871. According to the Erskine Registry, "after exhaustive investigation both abroad and in this country, followed by the building of 15 experimental chassis and bodies and countless road tests at Studebaker's million dollar proving ground, a remarkable new-type car evolved by Studebaker engineers. Because Mr. Erskine (Albert Russel Erskine) was primarily responsible for the development of this evolutionary new car, the board of directors of the Studebaker Corporation unanimously decreed that it should be named the 'Erskine Six'." Only six of the 1927 Studebaker Erskine Roadster Model 50J with rumble seat are known to exist worldwide today. Also, the Russel Erskine Hotel in downtown Huntsville, Alabama is named after Albert Russel Erskine. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.