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Regional daily’s education reporter loses cancer battle aged 58

1027429477A regional daily education reporter has died at the age of 58 after a battle with cancer.

Mike Russell joined Sheffield daily The Star in 1988 and was one of the reporting team which covered the Hillsborough disaster in the city the following year.

He was promoted to education reporter in 1993 and remained in that role for more than 20 years before eventually becoming too ill to work.

Colleagues, educationalists and friends have all joined in tribute to Mike, pictured left outside the Hillsborough home of his beloved Sheffield Wednesday.

Sheffield born and bred, Mike took a degree in English at Cambridge and briefly dabbled with a career in accountancy before becoming a journalist.

He joined The Star after training on the Pontefract and Castleford Express.

Star editor James Mitchinson said:“I only worked very briefly with Mike, but I’d like to think he delivered one of the best pieces of work in his entire career for me.

“I recall quite vividly how uncomfortable I made him feel when I told him that I’d like him to recount his version of events surrounding the Hillsborough disaster. It was for our 25th anniversary commemorative supplement, and he covered the story on the ground in 1989.

“What Mike delivered was a melancholy recollection in his own poetic prose; a quite profound account of events that day. It was word perfect. Mike always was. When I thanked him, he was his ever-humble self. Not wanting to revel in any praise, fuss or otherwise.

“The Star will miss Mike. Sheffield will miss him, too.”

Schoolfriend John Holmes said: “I knew Mike for more than 46 years, since we first met at King Edward VII School in 1969 as part of the very first comprehensive intake.

“He was highly intelligent, a bit of a rebel and with a wicked sense of humour.

“As he went off and studied English at Cambridge we thought he was destined for the literary heights, but after trying one or two things he settled down as a journalist at The Star, and spent what I feel was a very contented career on his home turf, living in Broomhill, committed to local issues.”

Jackie Drayton, cabinet member for children, young people and families at Sheffield Council, added: “In all my dealings with Mike over the years he was always professional, engaged and involved as well as very knowledgeable about education. He was an excellent journalist.”

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  • November 19, 2015 at 8:18 am
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    I was editor at The Star when Mike told me he had received news he had cancer and his chances of survival were slim. He conducted himself with a quiet, stoical bravery – a word so often overused but apt.
    But while he continued to work it was as if he wasn’t carrying that awful burden. He came back from his first treatment and we hoped he had beaten it. Sadly not, and it claimed the life of a quiet, humble, dedicated journalist. His colleagues who worked for him for much longer than I will know much more about him than I do. He was widely respected and admired.

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