Ledyard Elree Ross, Jr.

1925 -

Ledyard Elree Ross, Jr.
Ledyard Elree Ross, Jr. Image Source: ECU News Services

In 2010, Dr. Ledyard E. Ross, Jr., ‘51, a retired orthodontist, gave ECU one of its largest gifts ever, $4 million, in support of its nascent dental school, now known as the ECU School of Dental Medicine. In thanks, the ECU board of trustees promptly honored Ross, then 84, by naming the school’s soon-to-be constructed main building, Ledyard E. Ross Hall. The following year, the new school admitted its first class, greatly enhancing ECU’s standing as the premier medical center of eastern North Carolina, and one of the most important in the state and region. The ECU school, established legislatively by the N. C. General Assembly in 2006, joined the school at UNC-Chapel Hill as the second state-supported dental school. Ross’s gift, though a fraction of the total cost of the state-of-the-art building named in his honor, played a powerful, instrumental role in revealing the depth of support from within the local community for the new school and its success as a first-class facility addressing the severe shortage of dentists in rural, underserved areas in the state.

Although from Pactolus, Ross’ family, no doubt attracted by the opportunities afforded by East Carolina Teachers College moved to Greenville and resided just north of the campus on Library Street. Tragedy struck, however, in September 1936 when Ross’ father, Ledyard E. Ross, Sr., the operator of a successful filing station across from the Pitt County Courthouse, was killed in a plane crash just outside of town, leaving the family bereft and hard pressed in the midst of the Great Depression. Ross, Jr., was 11 at the time. Still, the family remained in Greenville and the young Ross attended city schools through his junior year at the Greenville High School located on Fifth and Reade Streets, just northwest of ECTC.

Like so many young men of his generation coming of age during WWII, Ross registered to serve his country on July 13, 1943, the day after he turned 18. By December of that year, he had joined the U. S. Marine Corps and then, shortly after, underwent basic training at Parris Island, S.C. Between 1944-45, Ross served in some of the fiercest battles in the Pacific theatre: in the campaigns on Peleliu Island, Palau, and then Okinawa, Japan. During that same time, however, Ross had the opportunity to observe and soon became fascinated with the work of a Marine field dentist and thereupon began to set his sights on that profession. After returning from WWII, Ross was able to take advantage of the recently enacted G.I. Bill and its funding of a college education for qualified veterans. Thus, Ross briefly attended Hardbarger Business College in Raleigh, and then enrolled at ECTC. After graduating from ECTC in 1951, he entered Northwestern University Dental School, completing his doctorate in dental surgery degree in 1953, and then a master’s degree in orthodontics from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1959. Ross then began his practice in Greenville which he continued until 1991 when he turned it over to his son, Dennis. In addition to his well-respected orthodontist practice, Ross emerged during these decades as a successful businessman, at the center of various real estate ventures in North and South Carolina.

Even after Ross’ gift and earlier state funding of approximately $100 million for the ECU dental school, budget constraints prompted some state lawmakers to consider halting funding for the school and having the new facility, Ledyard E. Ross Hall, repurposed. However, Gov. Beverley Purdue, in a well-publicized announcement made at the construction site of what was to be Ross Hall, proposed her wishes for the biennial budget, totaling $19.9 billion, including the $5 million in operating expenses earlier requested for the ECU dental school. With Purdue’s support and that of other leading figures in the state legislature as well as devoted backers of ECU, funding for the school and the emergence of Ross Hall as its center was secured.

In 2011, the School of Dental Medicine opened with over 52 students in its inaugural class. Initially, classes were conducted in the Brody School of Medicine while construction of the new home for the school, Ross Hall, was brought to completion. The latter – a $50 million four-story, 188,000 square-foot state-of-the-art facility – opened in 2012. Satellite clinics located in underserved areas of eastern NC soon complemented the mission of Ross Hall and the new ECU School of Dental Medicine.

Throughout his career, Ross was a generous supporter of ECU, providing resources for athletics as well as academics. His most renowned contribution, however, was to the new dental school. And his son, Dr. Dennis Ross, also an orthodontist, continued his father’s legacy by making a $1 million dollar donation to ECU, part of which was earmarked for the dental school, with the remainder going to the College of Health and Human Performance and Athletics. The two gifts well establish the Ross family, father and son, as among ECU’s most generous benefactors.

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Related Materials

Ledyard Elree Ross, Jr. Image Source: Green Lights, 1943. Greenville High School Yearbook, Greenville, NC.

Ledyard Elree Ross, Jr. Image Source: The Tecoan, 1948.

Ledyard Elree Ross, Jr. Image Source: The Tecoan, 1949.

Ledyard Elree Ross, Jr. Image Source: The News & Observer, August 6, 1944. pg. 11

Dr. Ledyard E. Ross, who donated $4 million to the ECU School of Dental Medicine, is shown in front of the building that bears his name. Image Source: ECU News Services

East Carolina University officials gather for the official ribbon cutting ceremony Oct. 12 to open Ledyard E. Ross Hall, where the School of Dental Medicine will reside. Image Source: ECU News Services

Ross Hall as seen from the east side. Image Source: ECU News Services

Dr. Nisha Ganaesh demonstrates how to perform a dental filling during a tour of Ross Hall after the October 12, 2012 dedication ceremony. Ledyard Ross, at left, observes the demonstration. Image Source: ECU News Services

Citation Information

Title: Ledyard Elree Ross, Jr

Author: John A. Tucker, PhD

Date of Publication: 3/3/2022

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