Malaka “Tookie” Russell was a pioneer in Maine girls sports. The Pennsylvania native, who attended Bryn Mawr and played softball in Miami, moved to Pittsfield and coached three generations of girls in field hockey, basketball and softball at Maine Central Institute. Russell guided the basketball team from 1959 to 1981 (for several years, Legend Harry “Pinky” True was her assistant). The former president of the Maine Women’s State Golf Association is in the MCI Athletic Hall of Fame and Maine Field Hockey Hall of Fame.
