Russ Whitman and his partner Marcia Smith volunteered at Armstrong Redwoods from the early 1990s to the early 2000s. They staffed the Armstrong Redwoods Visitor Center weekly and contributed to many improvements in the Visitor Center and to preserving the park.
Russ was very interested in Pond Farm Pottery, which led to him forming the Pond Farm Interest Group (PFIG). Russ and State Park maintenance worker Laura Parent were key to starting the Pond Farm archival collection. Russ secured permission for Stewards to use videos of Marguerite Wildenhain and a beautiful collection of photos of Marguerite by Otto Hagel for educational purposes.
The Armstrong Restoration Endowment was started by Russ in the early 2000s. The Endowment funds restoration and education efforts for Armstrong Redwoods SNR and Austin Creek SRA. A $10,000 donation in 2016 provided funding for the the Pond Farm video project. You can view video on this page!