Margaret Russell:  

(Hallowell Elementary) I moved from the small town of Hallowell, Maine to Seattle, Washington at the end of the 3rd grade Leaving good friends and jumping into the last few weeks of class at a new school (Lowell Elementary) so far from 'home' was both scary and exciting. My oldest Seattle friends remember my 'Maine accent' when I first got there. Over the next years, I went to Meany Jr. High, and Garfield High and became a true 'Seattle-ite'. LIFE AFTER GARFIELD! After graduating from Garfield in 1969, I took a year off from school and went to Europe for several months. Then I moved to L.A. in November of that year, and some friends I'd met in Europe and I attempted to form a rock band, writing our own music, and trying to create a new sound. In the spring of 70, feeling pretty frustrated, and not having found a job, I applied for the University of Washington and moved back to Seattle. Fall of '70, I started at the UW as a nursing major, following in the footsteps of my mother. I kept taking more and more music classes however, and in 1972, changed my major to vocal performance. At some point during my studies, I took almost a year off to go on tour with a couple of my L.A. friends who had formed a new(cover)rock band. While at the U, I met my husband Dennis Van Zandt (Roosevelt class of '69), and we got married in November 1974. I FINALLY graduated from the UW in 1977 with two bachelor's degrees and over 300 credits! During my studies, I also won several competitions sponsored by various opera companies including the New York Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, and Seattle Opera, giving me the motivation to try for an operatic career. In 1978 I went to Germany to audition for several opera houses, and got a contract ...Expand for more