James Hale Ross

James Hale Ross September 14, 1918 - July 29, 2006 A victim of Alzheimer's disease, which severely impacted the last few years of his life, Jim passed away peacefully on July 29th at the age of 87. He was born in Lodi, CA, where he grew up and attended local schools, becoming well-known for his tap dancing, and later, for his dance band, for which he was the pianist and arranger. He served in the Army Air Corps in India during WWII. He was pianist foran entertainment troupe sent into the interior of China during the waning days of the war. After the war he attended (then) College of the Pacific, and after graduating, taught instrumental music in the Antioch Unified School District, where he met his wife of 54 years, Barbara. After leaving teaching, he returned to school, earning his electronic engineering degree. He worked for Ampex, among other electronic firms. He was a pioneer in helping develop the read-write electronics for disc drives--the heart of modern computers. He continued to play for dance bands in the greater Bay Area for many years. He leaves his wife, Barbara of San Mateo; son, Jeffrey of the Netherlands; granddaughter, Lori of San Mateo; and daughter-in-law, Sharon, and was predeceased by a son, Douglas, father of Lori. He also leaves many cousins in Oregon. At his request, there will be no services. Friends are invited to an open house at the family home on Tues., August 8, between 2pm and 5pm. Memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Association of Northern California, PO Box 309, Mountain View, CA 94042. Arrangements for cremation were made by Neptune Society.