Russ Jensen

Pinball News Website·article·analyzed·Nov 20, 2007

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.015

TL;DR

Pinball historian Russ Jensen dies; legacy preserved through archives and memorial fund.

Summary

Russ Jensen, a prolific pinball historian and author who contributed extensively to pinball literature since the 1970s, passed away on November 10, 2007, aged 71. He was known for his contributions to the Internet Pinball Database, his articles under the byline '5 cents, 5 balls,' his presence at Pinball Expo seminars, and his pinball troubleshooting guide. The community preserved his website and established a memorial fund.

Key Claims

Russ Jensen was born in the late 1930s
high confidence · Gary Flower's remembrance: 'Born in the late 1930s Russ was seduced into the world of pinball'
Russ Jensen's first article was published in the Amusement Review in 1978
high confidence · Gary Flower memoir: 'His first article was printed in the Amusement Review in 1978'
Russ Jensen attended Pinball Expo from 1985 until health/caregiving obligations forced him to stop
high confidence · Gary Flower: 'We first met at Pinball Expo back in 1985, he was a committed attendee until he had to stay home and care for his ailing wife a few years back'
Russ Jensen made a massive contribution to the Internet Pinball Database with hundreds of pictures from his archive
high confidence · Direct statement: 'would happily reprint them for anyone who asked. He also made a massive contribution to the Internet Pinball Database, supplying many hundreds of pictures from his extensive archive'
Russ Jensen had very poor eyesight but continued detailed research and game analysis despite this limitation
high confidence · Gary Flower: 'in the time I knew him, he had very poor eyesight. Whilst that may have stopped him playing the games he loved so much it did not stop him peering over every minute detail of a game'

Notable Quotes

“Russ was a paradox, on the one hand apparently keeping himself to himself: often seen, at Expo, walking around on his own with his notebook, scribbling away. On the other hand he was always willing to share his knowledge with others.”
Gary Flower — Characterizes Jensen's dual nature as both introverted observer and generous knowledge-sharer
“He was a legend.”
Gary Flower — Establishes Jensen's significance to the pinball community
“Born in the late 1930s Russ was seduced into the world of pinball by his natural curiosity of how these mechanical marvels operated.”
Gary Flower — Explains Jensen's foundational motivation and origin story in pinball
“It's a sign of Russ's modesty that he didn't promote his book on his own website!”
Gary Flower — Illustrates Jensen's humble character despite significant contributions

Entities

Russ JensenpersonGary FlowerpersonInternet Pinball Databaseorganization Pinball ExpoeventJesse KujawapersonAmusement RevieworganizationCoin SlotorganizationPinGame JournalorganizationPinball MagicorganizationAmerican Cancer Society

Signals

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community_signal: Russ Jensen's extensive contributions to pinball documentation, database archival, and seminar transcription at Pinball Expo demonstrate deep community commitment to preserving pinball knowledge for future generations
high · Transcribed seminars at Expo, supplied hundreds of pictures to IPDB, maintained personal website, published prolifically, provided free access to knowledge via multiple channels
?
community_signal: Community-wide effort to preserve Jensen's legacy through memorial website mirror at IPDB and establishment of named charitable fund demonstrates strong social bonds and collective memory in pinball community
high · Internet Pinball Database preserved mirror of his website, Jesse Kujawa established memorial fund at firstgiving.com/pinballmemory for American Cancer Society

Topics

Pinball history and historiographyprimaryCommunity archival and preservationprimaryPinball Expo history and cultureprimaryPinball journalism and publishingsecondaryInternet Pinball Database contributionssecondaryCommunity tributes and legacysecondary

Sentiment

positive(0.8)— Respectful, celebratory remembrance of Jensen's life and contributions. Tone is reverential and appreciative of his impact on pinball community preservation and scholarship. Some melancholy regarding his passing, but focus on legacy.

Transcript

raw_text · $0.000

Date: 20th November 2007. Pinball historian and author Russ Jensen passed away on Saturday 10th November, aged 71. Russ Jensen - picture courtesy Pingame Journal Russ was a prolific author of pinball articles since the '70s making many of them available via his website and would happily reprint them for anyone who asked. He also made a massive contribution to the Internet Pinball Database, supplying many hundreds of pictures from his extensive archive. He was a familiar face in pinball circles for many years and could often be seen at Pinball Expo diligently transcribing the seminars for future reference and to ensure the information they revealed was not lost to the pinball community. Pinball News asked fellow long-time Expo attendee and pinball author Gary Flower to give his memories of Russ. Last week I heard the sad news that Russ Jensen, Pinball Historian, passed away. I didn't know Russ that well. Suffice to say he was a legend. Born in the late 1930s Russ was seduced into the world of pinball by his natural curiosity of how these mechanical marvels operated. We first met at Pinball Expo back in 1985, he was a committed attendee until he had to stay home and care for his ailing wife a few years back. Russ was a paradox, on the one hand apparently keeping himself to himself: often seen, at Expo, walking around on his own with his notebook, scribbling away. On the other hand he was always willing to share his knowledge with others. He was particularly known for giving his two cents worth in his regular contributions to pinball publications, under the by line "5 cents, 5 balls". His first article was printed in the Amusement Review in 1978. He was also published in Coin Slot and the PinGame Journal. There was another paradox with Russ; in the time I knew him, he had very poor eyesight. Whilst that may have stopped him playing the games he loved so much it did not stop him peering over every minute detail of a game or spending hours and hours researching his specialist subject. Not only did he share his knowledge, by virtue of his articles published in the pinball magazines, he also maintained a website and wrote a book "Russ Jensen's Pinball Troubleshooting Guide". He also made himself very available via the magazines he wrote for; and providing his electronic and snail-mail addresses freely. It's a sign of Russ's modesty that he didn't promote his book on his own website! * For a more detailed biography read Russ's story as he wrote it at members.aol.com/rusjensen A memorial fund has been set up in Russ's name by Pinball Magic's Jesse Kujawa at: www.firstgiving.com/pinballmemory and donations will go to the American Cancer Society. A mirror copy of Russ's website has been preserved by the good folks at the Internet Pinball Database in case his AOL account is closed and that version disappears. You can access it at: archive.ipdb.org/russjensen Back to the News page Back to the front page