Alex's History
My good friends Bill Hoilman and Jim Lemon have been asking me every year to re-join the class of 64.
So here I am after ... 45 years.
In truth I have never left any of my classmates. You have never been forgotten.
Forty days before graduation I was asked to leave because I refused to break the honor code. And that code stayed with me throughout my life.
My new start in life began in Los Angeles where I worked for Pan Am while going back to school to get a degree in advertising. Of all my classes at USAFA, my favorites were logic and art (thank you Capt. Killcheskey). So common sense led me to a career in advertising. In 1969 I started my career as an art director at BBDO, one the giants of the industry, and a year later moved to New York City and worked on Madison Avenue. It was an exciting time. Nine years later I becameI eventually left to become a partner at Jordan, McGrath, Case and Partners where I worked for more than 20 years. And in 2001 my partner and I started our own advertising boutique that caters to the Hispanic Market in the US.
During my career I worked on some of the top accounts in the industry as well as some insignificant ones as well: Schaeffer Beer, Right Guard deodorant, Western Airlines, Bubble Yum bubble gum, Renuzit, Dupont gas booster, Beefeater gin, Good Housekeeping magazine, Chevron, Bounty paper towels, Tums, Zerex, the Belgian tourist office and many more whose names and ad campaigns have long been forgotten.
While my academy classmates, were flying high in the clouds I was soaring on Madison Avenue and shooting commercials in such wonderful places as The Plaza Hotel in New York City, Beverly Hills CA, Buenos Aires Argentina, Lake Taupo New Zealand, Santiago Chile, Mexico City, Montevideo Uruguay, Vancouver Canada and not least of all Wichita KA, Pittsburgh PA and Bayonne New Jersey (in a WW II submarine). It was fun and the industry awarded me all kinds of awards (Effies, Clios, Best of New York) for bringing fame to the industry and sales to our clients.
I have since moved on to becoming a Sculptor. I collect scrap materials, found (useless) objects including old awards and turn them into whimsical objets d'art. (See web.mac.com/alexross30)
I divorced my first wife, Louise after about 25 years of marriage (we're still friends). I have 3 boys, grown & married and 6 terrific grandchildren. For the last 20 plus years I have shared my life with a very bright and beautiful lady from Buenos Aires, Argentina. We have homes in New York City, Millbrook NY and Buenos Aires.
I'm happy, healthy and I have no regrets. I wish all my old classmates a good life.
Alex
Marathon Man
River Patrol
Wind Swept
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