“Dick was one of the elite selected by the Air Force to participate in the CIA A-12 Project OXCART at Area 51, where Dick flew the F-101 Voodoo to provide chase for the Mach 3+ A-12. After his tour of duty at Area 51, Dick was chief of the Operational Test and Evaluation Division of the 57th Fighter Weapons Wing at Nellis AFB where he was instrumental in the development of laser-guided weapons.
Dick held the rating of Command Pilot with over 4,000 hours of logged flying time. He was also one of the original founders of Roadrunners Internationale and was an invaluable asset to the association as it developed.”(1)
For Dick’s complete biography in his own words and photos, go to https://www.roadrunnersinternationale.com/roussell.html
Source: Roadrunners Internationale
Richard J. Roussell, Maj USAF, Ret., “Headed West” on May 3, 2008.
Major Richard Roussell U.S. Air Force, Retired Major Richard “Dick” Joseph Roussell, age 77, a 45-year resident of Las Vegas, passed away May 3, 2008.
Dick was always proud of his Lockport, La., heritage, where he was born July 23, 1930, to Sidney Jr. and Anita Roussell. He married Dorothy Faircloth in 1953, in Albany, Ga. His alma mater was LSU, where he attended U.S. Army ROTC for the first two years and U.S. Air Force ROTC for his junior and senior years.
As a commissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force, Dick flew 309 F-100 combat missions in Vietnam for which he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with 10 Oak Leaf Clusters.
Dick was one of the elite selected by the Air Force to participate in the CIA A-12 Project OXCART at Area 51, where Dick flew the F-101 Voodoo to provide chase for the Mach 3+ A-12. After his tour of duty at Area 51, Dick was chief of the Operational Test and Evaluation Division of the 57th Fighter Weapons Wing at Nellis AFB where he was instrumental in the development of laser-guided weapons.
Dick held the rating of Command Pilot with over 4,000 hours of logged flying time. He was also one of the original founders of Roadrunners Internationale and was an invaluable asset to the association as it developed. He remained a businessman in Las Vegas throughout his life after retiring from the Air Force. Dick is survived by his wife, Dorothy of Las Vegas; his children, Debra and husband, Daniel, and Donald, both of Las Vegas, and David and his wife, Melissa, of Coupeville, Wash.; his grandchildren, Brittany, Erin, Sara and Porsche; and one great-grandson, Colin.
The immediate family gathered privately to celebrate the life and memory of their beloved husband and father. Memorial services [were] scheduled [for] a later date.
