Russell C. Williams was a key figure in the progression of orientation and mobility from the Army's immediate response to the servicemen and women who lost their sight during World War II to a recognized profession delivering individualized instruction to visually impaired people throughout the world. Blinded in combat while serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, Williams went on to serve as a counselor and teacher in the Army's rehabilitation program for other blinded servicemen and women. After establishing the VA's (Veterans Administration's) first blind rehabilitation center and serving as its director, he became director of all programs for blinded veterans in the Central Office of the U.S. Veterans Administration. He retired from the VA in 1975 and died in 2000 at the age of 82. Russell Williams had been honored during his lifetime with practically every major award in the orientation and mobility field. In spite of that recognition, current professionals had little awareness of the extent of his specific contributions to the development of some of the techniques and teaching methods that form the backbone of the O&M profession. This two-part article is adapted from the author's on-stage conversation with Russ Williams at a 1998 International Mobility Conference in Atlanta, GA, which attempted to highlight those contributions. The second part of this interview appears in the summer issue of "RE:view."