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Russell Holmes (Rusty) Macdonald was born September 23, 1915. He moved from Prince Albert, Saskatchewan to Saskatoon so he could attend the University of Saskatchewan, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1938. After spending a year as a freelance writer in Toronto, he returned to Saskatchewan and took a position as a newspaper reporter for the Leader-Post (Regina), where he took up photography. During World War Two, Macdonald served in the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1940 to 1945 as a pilot and flying instructor. After the War, he resumed his work with the Leader-Post as a feature writer until 1949. Macdonald was then employed with the Western Producer (a Saskatoon-based periodical) from 1949 to 1977, becoming its first magazine editor in 1951 and then executive editor in 1953 until his retirement in 1977. During his time with the Western Producer, he became active in encouraging prairie writers, which ultimately led to the founding of the publisher Prairie Books as an outgrowth of the Producer's editorial department and later a separate division. An active supporter of improved libraries services in Saskatchewan, Macdonald was also appointed to the Saskatoon Public Library Board in 1960 and served until 1973. In 1966, he was made a member of the Saskatchewan Library Inquiry Committee that was attempting to identify the best library system to serve the province as a whole. In addition, in 1967 he was appointed to the provincial Library Advisory Committee (subsequently known as the Library Development Board) and served as until 1974. In recognition of involvement with libraries and interest in prairie writing, in 1975 he was awarded honorary life membership in the Saskatchewan Library Trustees' Association.

In 1986 Macdonald moved to Victoria, British Columbia, and he died on December 24, 1997.