Some Bible Students that were teenagers gave testimonies stating Br. Rutherford and Br. Russell were not on good terms and Br. Rutherford was actually dismissed when Br. Russell died. Their children and others tell their stories.
He didn't want anyone looking even minutely like Br. Russell and if your refused to be clean shaven you were dismissed from Bethel. Hated might be a strong word from the testimonies I have heard.
Blondie's quote concerning this was the sanitized version presented in the literature. Many Bible Students still wear beards now and with so many doing so it seems normal to see it. None wear their's like Br. Russell however just normal diverse styles.