You may not hear the whir of his wings or see the brilliance of his halo as you speed down Abrams Road on your way to work.
He’s there, though, the angel whose magical hands keep the block between 3500 and 3600 Abrams trimmed, watered and filled with topsoil and new grass. You just have to open your eyes to the quiet beauty he provides for your daily relief.
While there have been and are others whose efforts add to our daily serenity, there is one who is “on duty” almost every day. He’s Russell Switzer, an unassuming member of the Lakewood Homeowner’s Association who listened and agreed with the suggestion to add plantings to the parkway.
When several area real estate offices donated money to the neighborhood beautification committee, committee chairman Susan Howard shopped and purchased and hired a man to plant the trees. Russ assumed the duty of watering the ones on his block. He and neighbor Ed Hoot, my husband, had mowed the block for a few years anyway, so both men decided to devote time to the project.
They stretched long hoses from their houses to furnish a drink for the trees. It didn’t stop there. They began eliminating the weeds along the area parkway. Russ even parted with a hefty amount from his bank account to buy topsoil to fill in the low spots. All spring and into early summer, he could be seen bringing wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow filled with grass and plugs. He would smooth uneven places and pull more weeds.
On the Fourth of July, folks in this area usher in the holiday with American flags placed in their yards by a neighborhood business. This last year, most households wrote thank you notes to the company – but few noticed that Russ Switzer was still out there watering those trees and planting more grass in spots formerly filled with weeds.
He recently took a day off to volunteer as a hospital visitor at Baylor. And a couple of times a year, he and wife June spend a few days in Ellis, Kansas, where he was raised. Every Sunday, he can be found serving his church as a money counter.
He spends enough time in his vegetable garden to supply his neighbors with fresh cucumbers and tomatoes. Winning a blue ribbon at the State Fair for his pickles was all the thanks he wanted for the work involved.
On Dec. 28, Russ will be 81 years old, and he is still younger at heart than most of his neighbors. You may wonder what keeps him so active. He doesn’t jog – his gardening handles his exercise needs.
No man nor angel ever exhibited greater Christian principles than Russ Switzer, our Angel of Abrams.
