Crossroads College Preparatory School will hold its seventh annual trivia night on Feb. 11 to support the Linda T. Russ Memorial Fund. This endowment fund fosters participation in the school’s chess program by defraying some of the cost of tournament events, which could otherwise be a barrier to competition.

Russ worked for numerous Jewish organizations during her career, including the Jewish Federation, the JCC, and the Older Adults Community Action Program (OACAP), where she served as director for 10 years. She passed away in 2005 after a courageous battle with cancer.

Her son Ben was a member of the school’s chess team, said Dr. Howard Granok, chair of the science department at Crossroads College Prep, as well as the school’s chess coach. “The stimulation of the game facilitated his overall learning, and I believe it gave him the peer social support he needed to help face his mother’s terminal illness.”

Russ believed that other students could also benefit from learning and playing chess, so in 2004 she established the endowment fund.

Ben Russ helped chaperone the Crossroads Chess Team on its annual trip to the Missouri State Championships last February. Crossroads took first place in the Ninth Grade and Under Division – a feat last accomplished 10 years ago, when Ben was a member of the team.

Last year’s trivia night raised the money needed to pay for the team’s transportation to Chess Nationals in Nashville, Tenn. It also provided scholarships to defray the cost of the trip for some of the team members. This spring, the team plans on competing at Chess Nationals in Minneapolis, Minn.

For more information about the Crossroads College Preparatory School’s trivia night, or to reserve your table, contact Howard Granok at 314-367-8085 or by email at [email protected].