Karen Hornback Goldsmith reports that Thomas Nelson Ross '56 has died. He passed away on May 22, 2013, at the age of 73. He was a resident of Dallas, TX for the last 30 years and lived a comfortable life with his long time love, Earlene and their two dogs.

Tom was born Oct 20, 1939 in Darby, PA, the oldest child of Thomas and Margaret Ross. Tom grew up in Temple City, CA and graduated from the local high school in 1956. He attended Pasadena City College and then earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electronic Engineering from Cal Poly College, Pomona.

Tom spent 40 plus years in the electronics and telecommunications industry, most notable as a sales rep for Larscom, Inc. He began his career at the age of 18 as an electronics technician at JPL, Pasadena working on the Explorer 1 satellite program.

After retiring in 1999, Tom spent much of his time traveling the world with Earlene. He also enjoyed spending the summer months in Newport Beach, CA and golfing with family and friends. Tom was an avid reader and had an encyclopedic knowledge of all things World War II.

Tom is preceded in death by his parents and brother, Douglas. He is survived by the love of his life, Earlene Horvath; his brother, Barry of Los Angeles; his sister, Pamela, of AZ and four nieces and four nephews. Tom will always be remembered for his quick wit, generosity towards others and his sincere compassion for all things living.

TCHSophiles will note that the class of 1956 was the first to graduate after TC Unified School District was created from areas formerly served by Pasadena and El Monte schools.