Obituary of Clifford B. Ross

Clifford B. Ross, 89, of the Rossmoor Community in Monroe, N.J., died early Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2004, in his son's home in Franklin Township, after a battle with advanced prostate cancer. Born: He was born on April 19, 1914, in West Orange, N.J. Personal: He developed a pasion for journalism while a student at Rutgers College. He covered the Lindberg Trial for the college newspaper, The Targum. After graduation in 1936, Clifford and a classmate, fellow reporter Martin Agronsky, who became the host of Face the Nation and his own TV news program, traveled around Europe during wartime. When he returned, Mr. Ross joined the Army and worked as a press officer achieving the rank of Captain. Upon his discharge, he landed a reporting job at he old New York Sun. After the Sun closed its doors, he went to work for the Home News. While at The Home News, he met his now former wife, Mary, who worked in the advertising department. He had been a sports editor at the paper. The newspaper became a family affair, his son, Myles, later developed the paper, and his daughter, Jil became a reporter and editor for the newspaper in the mis to late 1970's. In the early 1950's, Mr. Ross took a job as a public relations director for Linvoln Mercury in Edison, N.J., and when the company moved out of New Jerswey, he took an editing job at The Courier News, then in Plainfiel, N.J. He returned once mor to public relations, serving as a spokesman for The New Jersey Farm Bureau and later for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, from which he retired. During the 1960's, he became active in local politics, having served as a former aide to State Senator William E. Ozzard as member of the Somerset County Board of Elections and as a deputy clerk of the Somerset County Board of Freeholders. Upon his retirement in 1976, he moved to Rossmoor in Monroe and continued to turn out aryicles on his Royal typewriter. He was editor of New Jersey Effluents magazine and served as editor of The Rossmoor News. He was also the author of a book on the trucking industry in New Jersey called The Motor Carriers of New Jersey. He would have been surprised to know htat the book is still for sale at $22.95. outpricing all of the current non-fiction on the New York Times best seller list. Memberships: He was a member of the Kiwanis Club, the St. Andrew's Society of New York, the Mount Zion Lodge of the Masonic Temple, the Loyal Son of Rutgers and the VDW in Jamesburg, N.J. Survivors: his children, Myles of Washington and Jill of Hopewell, N.J his former wife, also of Hopewell: four grandchildren: and several neices and nephews. Services: Memorial services will be held at a later date. Arrangements are being handled by the Warren Hills/Ford Memorial Home in Washington. Memorials: to the American Cancer Society, 669 Littleton Road, Parsippany, NJ 07054