David Edward Ross (August 25, 1871 – June 28, 1943)Kelly, Fred C. David Ross, Modern Pioneer: A Biography. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1946. Print. was a

Purdue University Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

graduate who helped advance the university through his generous donations and years of service on the Board of Trustees.

Early life

David E. Ross was the second child of George Ross and Susanna Booth. He was born in

Lafayette, Indiana Lafayette ( , ) is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, located northwest of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, whi ...

, but moved to Brookston at the age of two. In 1876, Ross began attending primary school. During this time in his life, Ross began to show an interest in engineering. While on a

steamboat A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...

ride with his parents, Ross made his way to the engine room and became fascinated with the machinery. Another incident occurred at his uncle's house when Ross attempted to manipulate the furnace. During his senior year of high school, Ross decided to attend college and learn about engineering. Despite his father’s disapproval, Ross enrolled in Purdue University in 1889.Cooperider, Jay. "David Ross Ingenious and generous, he enriched the University in countless ways." Tippecanoe County, Indiana; accessed October 31, 2013

This decision was made possible thanks to another uncle, Will, who offered to house Ross during his time in college and pay for books and tuition.

College

In 1893, Ross graduated from Purdue as a

mechanical engineer Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations of ...

.Cullen, Kevin. "Discoveries: The many facets of Purdue legend David Ross." Journal and Courier, February 7, 2012

/ref> His life at college was “quiet”. Despite his inventive mind, he received only a passing grade in most of his classes, including machine design, mathematics, and physics.

Life after college

Around 1905, Ross invented his first automotive steering gear. He eventually patented 88 inventions and was involved in founding four companies related to

building material Building material is material used for construction. Many naturally occurring substances, such as clay, rock (geology), rocks, sand, wood, and even twigs and leaves, have been used to construct buildings. Apart from naturally occurring materia ...

s and automotive mechanisms.

Purdue University

Ross became a member of the Purdue Alumni Committee in 1921. His first project involved raising money to build the

Purdue Memorial Union The Purdue Memorial Union (PMU) is a student union building located on the Purdue University campus in West Lafayette, Indiana, USA. It opened in 1924 as a memorial to the Purdue students who had fought in World War I. The building includes severa ...

that would honor Purdue graduates that died during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. After donating a large contribution of his own, Ross began persuading alumni in the area to donate as well. He would promise them the building would be “the finest thing of the kind in the United States”. Partially because of his persistence, alumni donated almost half of the one million dollars that paid for the Union. Ross’s next project was the design of a new football stadium to help promote the athletics of the school. He met with

George Ade George Ade (February 9, 1866 – May 16, 1944) was an American writer, syndicated newspaper columnist, and playwright who gained national notoriety at the turn of the 20th century with his "Stories of the Streets and of the Town", a column that ...

, another well-known Purdue graduate, on a 65-acre farm and proposed the financing of the new stadium. The two men became business partners and friends, and funded what came to be called the

Ross–Ade Stadium Ross–Ade Stadium is a stadium in West Lafayette, Indiana, on the campus of Purdue University. It is the home field of Purdue Boilermakers football. The stadium was dedicated on November 22, 1924, and named in honor of Purdue alumni George Ade ...

. Ross also helped build the Lambert Fieldhouse by donating $100,000 and land. Ross became president of the Purdue Board of Trustees in 1927. With his new role, he was able to push for the creation of the Purdue Research Foundation, which was successfully founded in 1930. He personally donated $25,000 towards its formation. He believed research was an essential part of the learning process and led to innovation and discovery. This belief in the power of research led to $453,00 of fellowship funds from 1930-40. Ross was also a believer in the need for

aeronautical engineering Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: Aeronautics, aeronautical engineering and Astronautics, astronautical engineering. A ...

at Purdue. He bought 157 acres of land that would eventually grant Purdue the distinction of having one of the country’s first operational airports.

Later life

Death

Ross died on June 28, 1943. He is buried northwest of the Slayter Center of Performing Arts, on a piece of land overlooking the main campus of Purdue University that he had donated as part of the Purdue Research Foundation. He is one of four people buried on campus, the others being

John Purdue John Purdue (; October 31, 1802 – September 12, 1876) was a wealthy American industrialist in Lafayette, Indiana, and the primary original benefactor of Purdue University. Early life Most details of Purdue's early life were either not recor ...

, and Steven and Jane Beering. Ross was quoted as saying “I’m hoping the time may never come when I’m not identified with Purdue”. Most of Ross’s estate was left to the Purdue Research Foundation. The sum total of money, stocks, and land that Ross donated to the university. amounted to nearly $3,000,000 dollars.

References

External links

Wayback MachineArticle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, David Edward Purdue University College of Engineering alumni Businesspeople from Indiana Philanthropists from Indiana People from Lafayette, Indiana 1871 births 1943 deaths