AC_1965_Web

135 AN T I OC H CO L L E G E C L A S S O F 19 6 5 5 0 t h A N N I V E R S A R Y B O O K A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z R O S S ROSS STEPHEN L. THEN AND NOW 4 B.A. History STEPHEN L. ROSS, ’65 (1942–2005) From Bernie Guyer S T E V E R O S S E N T E R E D Antioch in 1960 and lived in Mills/Caldwell. He died in Larchmont, N.Y., on July 9, 2005, at the age of 62.He was mar- ried to Sherry Waldorf (’65) while they were students at Antioch and they had two children, Samantha and Stephanie.They later divorced. After graduation, Steve returned to Larchmont where he had grown up. He worked in the financial in- dustry in New York City, serving as Managing Director of Aurora Capital Corporation in 1999. I had no personal contact with him after Antioch, but have an email dated August 3, 2004, that he wrote to Art Katona commenting on the recent death of Steve Straker (both also started out in Mills/Caldwell in 1960). “Dear Art: Just got back from va- cation to receive your email about Steve [Straker] having passed away. To echo many of the sentiments that have been expressed by ev- eryone else in our unique group I was stunned and saddened. I also thought that I was at that point in life where nothing seems to sur- prise me any longer. Don’t know if it is age, 9/11, reality checking in or just lifelong observations. However this really got me right between the eyes. “Thank you for writing such a beautiful letter to us all. It must have been very difficult and painful and it is much appreciated. I remember going to Steve’s house inYonkers on a couple of occasions. I came from Larchmont which is only 10 or 15 minutes from where he lived. It was just a couple of afternoons and we just shot the shit, like in the dorms or at the C-shop ’til closing.My sense of him was one of genuineness and kindness. I would bet my bottom dollar that he remained that way forever. In my book that’s about as good as it gets.” ... Steve Ross. Ross spent a year at NYU work- ing on an MBA which he did not complete. He could not wait any longer to start a career in various fi- nancial services.He was an avid mar- ket watcher and participant. He be- gan his career working for Steiner Rouse (later to be named Gruntal). Next he went on to R.W. Pressprich where he worked with Ken Langone (founder of The Home Depot, etc., and Chuck McKinley of Wimbledon fame). Next he ran the equity syndi- cate desk for Bear Stearns and after that was a partner at Cowen. Later in his career he invested in biotech- nology and other high-growth com- panies. He was always a curious and eager observer of the market and fol- lowed corporate initiatives and the economy with great interest. He could speak at length on a variety of business topics and never shied away from a good conversa- tion. Steve was a beloved father, brother, son, uncle, and friend to many. His sense of humor was leg- endary and he loved telling jokes and embarrassing his daughters, Samantha, now 43, and Stephanie, 38. He adored them and, in turn, they adored him. He was a great lis- tener and always made time to help and counsel friends and colleagues. He loved spending time with his family and made everyone around him feel deeply loved and unique. Among his hobbies were watching baseball, reading, bowling, and visit- ing Bethany Beach, Del. He could be found every Sunday morning at the local diner. He also enjoyed finding new restaurants to enjoy with his family. Stephen died of metastatic re- nal cancer which had only been di- agnosed eleven months earlier.