DR. A.G. ROSS
Alexander Grant Ross born January 29, 1894 was one of eight children born to James and Jean Ross of Woodstock, New Brunswick. He entered McGill University in the autumn of 1914 and went overseas with the McGill Hospital Unit in May 1915. He later transferred to an artillery battery.
Returning to Canada after the Armistice he completed his medical course with the class of 1922 at McGill. While overseas he met Dr. F.G. Miller and they planned to practice together after the war and so entered into a partnership at Elk Point, Alberta immediately after his graduation. This partnership lasted forty-six years, until his death on August 21, 1968.
Dr. A. C. Ross, 1956.
During World War Two Dr. Ross enlisted as a M.O. for a Saskatchewan Batallion and went as far as Debert Camp, Nova Scotia with his batallion. He was not allowed to go overseas because the army finally discovered that he was over forty-five. He did, however make a couple of trips on the Lady Nelson hospital ship.
An incident while he was at Debert is illustrative of this man's character. He received a reprimand from the admitting staff of the hospital for sending too many tonsil cases for operation. Ross, who had been taking out tonsils for twenty years in his own practice, scrawled the following message across the back of the reprimand: "Sir, send us the tools and we will finish the job."
He was posted to the Debert Hospital for some months and later used as a trouble shooter in every province except P.E.I. At the request of Dr. A.E. Archer, then president of the C.M.A., he was released from the forces to act as surgeon to the town of Vegreville, Alberta which was without a surgeon. In 1947 he returned to the Elk Point partnership which had remained in force during his absence.
The first fifteen years of the partnership had been the pioneer type of practice with Model T Fords in the summer and horses in the winter. Mileage averaged a thousand miles per month for the four or five winter months with the horses
THE A.G. ROSS FAMILY
BACK ROW, Lefi to Right: Mrs. Ross Jean, Dr. Ross. FRONT ROW: Ian, Donald, Jamie, Barbara.
The partnership built a small private hospital in 1923 which was operated until 1928 when a municipal hospital was erected under the provincial hospital department.
In 1926 Dr. Ross married Ivy Lillian Evans. They had five children and one adopted son. They are Jean, James, Donald, Barbara, Ian and Tommy Joe. Mrs. Ross in addition to raising her family, sang in the United Church choir and was active in community affairs. Later on she curled in winter and golfed in summer, and it took a good man golfer to beat her. Mrs. Ross was an able horticulturist. She landscaped the yard of their home and the front yard of the Elk Point United Church. Ivy now lives in Leduc, Alberta and Tommy Joe is a great help to his mother.
Mrs. Ross and Tommy Joe.
As a physician Dr. Ross was a careful and accurate diagnostician and kept himself up to date on treatment. As a surgeon he had quick, sure hands and sound surgical judgment, and he never panicked. As a citizen he served on the school board and later for many years on the town council. He organized the Gas Company which supplies the town of Elk Point from its own gas wells. He was instrumental in having water and sewage facilities made available for the town. He was an elder and strong supporter of the United Church. He was keenly interested in young people's activities, and he taught a Sunday School class for many years.
Dr. Ross having played football for McGill under coach "Shag" Shaughnessy maintained a keen interest in the game arid he often drove 150 miles to Edmonton to watch the Edmonton Eskimos play their home games.
During his later years he derived considerable pleasure from learning to navigate his sail boat on Muriel Lake where he and Mrs. Ross had a comfortable cottage. During his whole life Sandy Ross was distinguished for absolute integrity, unfailing loyalty, and sheer courage, together with a delightful sense of humor. As a tribute to this fine man our modern arena and Agri-plex was named "A.G. Ross Agri-plex in his honor.
