Andrew S. Ross

1946 - 2024

Andrew S. Ross
02/07/1946 - 08/17/2024
Award-winning Bay Area journalist Andrew S. Ross, age 78, passed away in San Francisco on August 17, 2024, of complications from Lewy Body disease. Over the course of his 46-year career, Andrew worked in every journalistic medium-from radio to TV, print to the web. As one of the co-founders of Salon, where he served as managing editor from 1996 to 1998, later transitioning to the business staff, he was instrumental in bringing serious writing to the burgeoning internet.
Andrew Stephen Ross was born on February 7, 1946 in Windsor, England. Raised in the seaside town of Brighton by parents Phyliss and Albert, he moved to London to attend university. It was there that he met an American exchange student whom he eventually followed to New York. While their marriage was short-lived, Andrew's affection for his adopted country was lifelong.
In NYC, Andrew pursued a career in journalism. He graduated from the Masters program at the Columbia School of Journalism in 1970 and soon moved to the Bay Area, where he worked on the editorial staff of the Berkeley Barb alternative press. Another early job was reporting for the KSAN rock radio station at the request of newsman Dave McQueen, covering the food giveaway demand of the SLA during the Patty Hearst kidnapping. He also worked at KQED television, where he received an award for his coverage of the Moscone/Milk assassinations in 1979.
In 1985, Andrew went to work for the Hearst-owned San Francisco Examiner, where he held many positions, including reporter, assistant city editor, associate editor, and foreign editor. He liked to say his British accent got him the foreign editor job, though in truth he was insatiably curious about world events and stories that often flew under the radar of American newspapers. In announcing Andrew's appointment as foreign/national editor in 1993, then executive editor Phil Bronstein said, "Andrew is a dedicated, insightful journalist who brings a diversity of experience and a fierce intellect to a key newsroom position." While at the Examiner under the byline A.S. Ross, Andrew edited the paper's popular "Back Page," creating explainers on everything from sports injuries to Bastille Day. During this time, he also wrote magazine features, often with close friend and photojournalist Ed Kashi. The two covered topics such as Berlin after the fall of the wall, kompot addicts in Poland, and "marching season" in Northern Ireland.
Andrew was fascinated by technology and was an enthusiastic early adopter. While many journalists of his era were dismissive of the internet, he took a leap of faith in 1995 and joined dear friend and former Examiner colleague David Talbot to start Salon, one of the first high-quality web magazines. His years at Salon were among the most rewarding of his career, and he loved the work of bringing it to life with Talbot, Gary Kamiya, Mignon Khargie, Scott Rosenberg, Camille Peri, Laura Miller, and a host of talented writers.
Andrew was coaxed back to the print world in 2001 by close friend and colleague Bronstein, who took over the San Francisco Chronicle when Hearst bought the paper. At the Chronicle, Andrew took on a variety of roles, but his favorite was penning "The Bottom Line," a business column by an admittedly business-skeptical journalist. Chronicle readers may remember seeing his face on San Francisco bus ads advertising the column. Andrew retired at age 70, after which he volunteered for a variety of organizations, including Swing Left and Food Runners.
While he often joked that journalism was "the other woman in his life," Andrew was a devoted husband to his wife, Cynthia Jones, and a loving father to their much-adored daughter, Lily Ross. He relished traveling with his family and remained deeply connected to the cousins with whom he grew up in Brighton. Andrew and Cynthia's relationship spanned 36 years, and they were married for 28 of those. They shared a passion for good food, great movies, and weekend classes at Rhythm & Motion. Andrew read voraciously. His nose was often in a dense historical tome, but he was equally happy with a John Le Carre spy novel, especially while sitting on a deck with an ocean view and a nice glass of wine. He often invited friends over for hours-long meals to hash out the events of the day. He liked to opine, loved to debate, and adored any excuse to pick up fresh crab from Fisherman's Wharf.
Andrew was a truly original thinker and a one-of-kind character, with a wicked sense of humor and big heart. He will be deeply missed. In addition to Cynthia and Lily, he is survived by his cousins Niki, Ruthie, Alex, Mandy, and Peter.
A celebration of life will be held on November 22, 2024 from 2-4pm, at the Fernwood cemetery in Mill Valley.