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Next date: Saturday, September 13, 2025 | 02:00 PM to 03:00 PM
From 1938 to 1971, Fort Worth was home to one of two federal drug rehabilitation centers in the United States. Meet the author of a book that explores her family history as it relates to the Fort Worth Narcotic Farm at this special event at the Fort Worth History Center.
Debbie Russell, author of Crossing Fifty-One, will discuss her book. Their presentation is scheduled during National Recovery Month and will be followed by a Q&A. This program is designed for adults.
UPDATE: Dr. Holly Karibo was scheduled to discuss her book, Rehab on the Range, but is unable to attend this presentation.
Russell’s book traces a family history and is in part somewhat of a memoir. A week before Christmas 1951, Dr. Ralph Russell risked everything to voluntarily enter a locked federal drug-treatment facility – a “narcotic farm.” Sixty-five years later, Dr. Russell’s oldest son – Debbie Russell’s father – is accepted into hospice. What follows is a debilitating crisis for Debbie Russell as family secrets are revealed.
Debbie Russell is a lawyer who spent 25 years as an assistant county attorney in Minneapolis where she prosecuted numerous high-profile cases and fought off several nervous breakdowns. At age 51, she took early retirement, trading a full pension for free time. She now spends that time writing, restoring her property to native prairie and wetlands and training her dogs.
Fort Worth History Center, 501 E. Bolt St., Fort Worth 76110 View Map
501 E. Bolt St. , Fort Worth 76110
Free