Russell A. Yarbrough
Born in Augusta Springs, Virginia, Russell A. Yarbrough’s family moved to the Town of Salem where he graduated from Salem High School on Broad Street in the Class of 1915. His scholastic activities included serving as treasurer of the Senior Class and participating in both basketball and baseball.
Russell attended Roanoke College for two years and continued his education at Rutgers University where he was both a graduate of the American Institute of Banking and the Stonier Graduate School of Banking.
First employed by Leas & McVitty at Pearisburg, Virginia, he remained with that company for several years prior to joining the First Nation Bank of Bluefield, West Virginia as a bookkeeper in the Commercial Banking Department. Over the next 15 years he received important advancements and moved to the Trust Department where for 27 years he was a key official, serving as Vice President and Trust Officer.
Highly respected in the community and by the business sector, Russell served on the Board of Directors of Bluefield Furniture Company, the Northfork Coca Cola Bottling Company, Pocahontas Coal Company, and Big Sandy Coal Corporation. In the field of education he served on the Board of Davis-Elkins College and the Davis Stuart School of Lewisburg, West Virginia. A member of the First Presbyterian Church of Bluefield, he was a Trustee and an Elder and participated actively in church affairs. Russell was also a Mason and a Shriner as well as a longtime member of both the Bluefield Rotary Club and the Bluefield Chamber of Commerce.
Married to the former Edith Elizabeth Carr and residing in Bluefield, the Yarbroughs had no children. However, Russell’s two nieces, Mrs. Eugenia Y. Hanson of Salem and Rebecca Y. Evans of Mt. Hope were quite close and considered by Russell and Edith to be their own. Edith died many years ago and Russell passed away on January 29, 1990, at the age of 93.
In recognition of his outstanding achievements, Russell A. Yarbrough was inducted in 1998 into the Salem Alumni Hall of Fame established by the Salem Educational Foundation.
