Carl Albert STRAUSS Jr.

STRAUSSCarl Albert "Tony" Strauss, JuniorTeacher, Coach, Father and Grandfather.By the time he retired from Cincinnati Country Day School this May, Tony Strauss had become synonymous with the school he loved so dearly. Mr. Strauss graduated from Country Day, a college preparatory school in Indian Hill, in 1957. After getting his Bachelors degree in Art History at Williams College and his Masters in Education from Harvard University, he returned to Cincinnati where he joined the Country Day faculty. In 43 years of service at Country Day, Mr. Strauss taught generations of history students and coached football, soccer, and softball. In all, he spent 55 of his 68 years at Cincinnati Country Day, becoming one with the institution. Tony was the eldest son of Cincinnati architect, Carl A. Strauss, and his wife Eleanor. Surrounded by the visual and performing arts as a child, he developed an early passion for history, which led to a career teaching American, European, and Art History at Country Day. Later in his career, he took the opportunity to study Spanish art during a one-year sabbatical teaching at the American School in Madrid. In 43 years of teaching at Country Day, Mr. Strauss's accomplishments and his influence were too numerous to mention, but they included years as the head of the Cum Laude Society, the Academic Honor Society, and coach of many successful teams. "You want to know what Cincinnati Country Day School values? What we stand for? I say, look to Tony Strauss," said colleague and fellow History teacher Merle Black. He is remembered fondly by former colleagues, as well as former students. Hundreds returned to Country Day's campus in May to celebrate Tony's retirement and thank him for his extraordinary years of service. Dr. Robert Macrae, current head of school at Country Day, stated that "his spirit will live on in our hallways, on our athletic fields, in our classrooms, and in our hearts." In addition to his dedication to Country Day, he spent many years volunteering in Cincinnati. He also served as Regional Coordinator for Williams College's Alumni Association and as a representative on its Alumni Executive Committee. Above all else, Tony loved his family. Ever the teacher and coach, he and his wife raised three beloved daughters - Michelle, Carrie and Nikki - who became scholar-athletes at both Country Day and Williams College. Mr. Strauss also nurtured an enduring love for skiing, and introduced many of his students to his passion on the school ski trips he frequently led. He had recently had surgery to replace his ailing knee in the hopes of getting in several more years of skiing, and died suddenly on August 2 during physical therapy. As he began retirement, Mr. Strauss was looking forward to spending more time with his daughters and grandchildren and assisting his wife in her real estate business. Tony and his youngest daughter, a surgeon, were planning to travel to South Africa to volunteer at an orthopaedic trauma hospital and associated clinics. Tony is survived by his loving wife Gerri; his brother, former Cincinnati Vice-Mayor Peter Strauss; his three daughters: Michelle Ross of Winchester, Massachusetts, Carrie Dunn of Sanibel, Florida, and Nikki Strauss of San Francisco, California; and his four grandchildren: Ella, Dylan and Morgan Ross, and Matthew Dunn. Tony's life will be remembered and celebrated at Cincinnati Country Day School on Tuesday, August 7 at 3:30 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be sent to either Cincinnati Country Day School, or to the Williams College Alumni Fund, Donor Relations Office, 75 Park Street, Williamstown, MA 01267 (in each case indicating a gift in memory of Tony Strauss).