News and Events > Obituaries> 2004

Harold D. Ross
(1922-2004)

Poughkeepsie Day School lost a loyal and generous friend when community trustee Harold D. Ross, 81, died at his home in Poughkeepsie on July 7, 2004. Born in Rochelle, Illinois on August 5, 1922, the eldest son of Harold and Dorothy Davis Ross, Harold grew up in Mount Morris, Illinois. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology in 1944, did graduate work in physics at the University of Chicago and earned a master's degree in electrical engineering from Northwestern University. Early in his career, Harold was employed in the engineering department of Western Electric Company, where he took part in the early development of high-frequency magnetrons that are the basis of powerful radar systems.

Harold married fellow mid-Westerner Helen Ray of Oak Park, Illinois in 1946 and in 1949 he joined IBM as an associate engineer. He subsequently served as manager of the engineering laboratory at IBM Kingston and manager of the data systems development laboratory at IBM Poughkeepsie. He earned numerous scientific awards and patents, retiring from IBM in 1977.

Both Harold and Helen were very active in the Poughkeepsie community and generous in their support of cultural and environmental organizations of the area. An avid reader and a fine musician, Harold dedicated his life to music, the advancement of science and the education of young children. He became interested in music at an early age and developed a fine bass voice. While in high school he was a church choir soloist and had lead parts in Gilbert and Sullivan operettas and he sang with the Capella Festiva Chamber Choir of Poughkeepsie for many years. Harold's love of music, compassion and respect for musicians inspired him, in later life, to learn to play the cello. He played in several string quartets in the Poughkeepsie area, which brought him many new friends and much solace to his soul.

Harold served for over 25 years on the board of directors and as president of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic Society in Poughkeepsie. He was the only person to be awarded the title President Emeritus for his long and inspirational leadership. His leadership of and generosity to the Philharmonic were instrumental in bringing major guest artists such as Yo Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax, and Wynton Marsalis to perform with the orchestra. He oversaw the growth of the society from a community based orchestra to a professional regional musical presence.

Harold's interest in music and science converged in his concern that young people develop understanding and love of these disciplines. And Poughkeepsie Day School benefited greatly from this concern. Harold was asked to join the PDS Board of Trustees, where he serving actively on the education committee, the committee on trustees, and as board secretary. As a trustee, Harold was known and respected as someone who spoke plainly and directly and who brought a thoughtful, no-nonsense approach to board and school matters.

Soon after becoming a trustee, he established the Harold and Helen Ross Music Scholarship fund to benefit PDS students with demonstrated financial need who wished to study music privately. He also generously supported the establishment of a successful chamber concert series at PDS, which was open to the larger community and free of charge and brought first-rate ensembles to the school's James Earl Jones Theater on Sundays. In Harold's typically modest fashion, he always downplayed his role in these wonderful programs and, instead, was content to know that he was bringing enjoyment to others.

Most recently, Harold was a leader in the IBM K-12 Matching Grants program, through which IBM employees and retirees may contribute selected IBM equipment and software to eligible K-12 schools of their choice by donating only 20 percent of the retail value, with IBM matching the rest. To date, the school has realized over $170,000 worth of desktop and laptop computers, printers, projectors and other high-tech equipment due to the generosity of IBMers like Harold. Additionally, he contributed generously to the Poughkeepsie Day School science initiative which helped support the refurbishment of the Gilkson Center and Kenyon House laboratories in 2003. PDS is also most grateful that Harold, through planned giving, made a $100,000 bequest to PDS as his parting gift to the school.

Harold's wife, Helen, predeceased him in 2000. He is survived by two brothers, William of Riverside, Connecticut, and Andrew of New Lebanon, New York; several nieces and nephews; and many good friends. A celebration of Harold's life will be held at a later date. At the family's request, memorial gifts in his memory may be made to Poughkeepsie Day School.

Editor's Note: This obituary included information from that printed in the Poughkeepsie Journal on July 11, 2004.It also appears in the winter edition of the school magazine, Currents.

Click here for Helen Ross obituary.

*****