Jack M. Ross
Jack Ross has always possessed an uncanny ability to absorb knowledge merely by listening. This played a key role in explaining why, at the time of his graduation from Andrew Lewis High School in 1943, Miss Annie McConkey affectionately referred to him as her “favorite Student”-perhaps in part because she was aware he never took a trig book home and, yet, maintained an “A” average by listening and absorbing in class along with doing homework during school hours.
Soon after graduation, Jack entered the Army Air Corps. As a cadet he received basic training before World War II came to a close. He chose to be discharged rather than continue in a peace time air force.
Following his departure from the service, Jack entered Virginia Polytechnic Institute under G. I. Bill and, in 1949, graduated with a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering. He was immediately employed by American Viscose Corporation as a Project Engineer at its rayon plant in Roanoke. Within a short time he received a promotion to Area Maintenance Engineer which included responsibilities at a rayon plant in Front Royal, Virginia.
Due to a decline in the market for rayon, in 1958 American Viscose elected to close the Roanoke plant. With this development, Jack decided to accept a position with Dayton Rubber Company as Maintenance Superintendent at their Waynesville, North Carolina plant. However, in 1959 he could not refuse an offer by Celanese Corporation to go to Mexico as Plant Engineering Manager at a jointly-operated Celanese Mexican government artificial fibers plant located at Zacapu, Mexico. In 1962, to Corporate Director of Engineering at Mexico City with responsibility for eleven jointly-operated chemical and fiber plants. Then, in 1972, Jack was made Corporate Director of Manufacturing and, again, with responsibility for all jointly-operated plants in Mexico.
It was during his college years that Jack married his hometown sweetheart,
Anne Rowell Ross (AL’44) who accompanied his to Mexico where they reared
their three children-Jack, Jr., Jannette (Riley) and Judy. Understandably,
the entire family learned to speak and write Spanish. As the children
reached college age, Jack and Anne sent each of them back to the United
States for that phase of their formal education. Additionally, they
sponsored a Mexican national through secondary, preparatory and college
schooling.
While in Mexico, Jack’s duties with an industrial complex left him
with little time for community activities. However, golf became his
principal recreational activity and, in Queretaro, Mexico, an annual golf
tournament still bears his name.
Upon retiring from Celanese-Mexico in 1982, Jack joined Celanese Fibers at Charlotte, North Carolina, as Director of Engineering and held that position until his final retirement in 1986.
For his contribution to the productive advancement of our neighbor to the south, Jack has been highly recognized by both Celanese Corporation and Mexico. In further recognition of his outstanding career achievements, Jack M. Ross was among the charter members inducted into the Salem Alumni Hall of Fame established by the Salem Educational Foundation and Alumni Association in 1996.
