This Buckeye benefactor loved building possibilities

Music. Gardens. The further reaches of the solar system. Wherever Andy Ross ’64, ’67 JD found something worth learning or celebrating, he found a way to support it.

He and his wife, Sandy ’70, were a dynamic gift-giving team. They donated $5 million to kickstart the fundraising campaign for the WOSU Public Media headquarters, donated millions more to the Chadwick Arboretum & Learning Gardens and funded “The Solar System to Scale” mixed-media installation that stretches along Woodruff Avenue from CBEC to the arboretum.

“Our philanthropic interests were with the parts of the university that educate,” says Sandy Ross. “We wanted to impact our university and community, where we knew the people and could see and keep an eye on the impact.” The couple also made significant contributions to the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, Columbus Metropolitan Library and the Columbus Humane animal welfare nonprofit. Andy Ross, 82, died Sept. 3.

Family members have led many Ohio State fundraising efforts, including the Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital and the Stanley D. and Joan H. Ross Center for Brain Health and Performance. Ross Products, founded in 1903, brought brands such as Similac and Ensure to market. Eventually, the company became a subsidiary of Abbott Laboratories.

After law school, Ross worked as an assistant prosecutor for Franklin County and eventually left to establish a law practice with his brother, Stanley. His interests outside law were numerous, varied and creative. “Andy was a complete Renaissance man,” says Thomas Rieland, who retired as general manager of WOSU in 2021. “He did woodworking, photography, painting, and he did everything with such joy. He was curious about the world around him, and he loved to create things.”

Ross was world-renowned for his expertise in building modern, miniature versions of the Stirling steam engines developed for trains in the early 1800s. He held patents, wrote books and mentored other Stirling enthusiasts.

While an undergraduate, Ross began contributing to WOSU. “He loved classical music and would give smaller amounts during the pledge drives,” his wife says.

The $5 million gift was the spark that led to the building of the $32 million, 52,000-square-foot WOSU headquarters near High Street and 14th Avenue. “That was the turning point,” Rieland says. “We needed that kind of major commitment, and without it, I don’t know where we’d be. Andy inspired others to give; he was so generous, and he and Sandy were an amazing team.”

Creating the solar system model on campus was a longtime dream for Ross, who was fascinated by the scale of the universe. “I remember the joy on his face when it was unveiled,” says Laura Baker ’10, ’17 MBA, Ohio State senior executive director of university development. “He was thrilled our students and K-12 students from the area would stop, look and learn about our solar system.”