Necrology

Robert Curtis Gross, Sr. '48

Oct. 22, 1926-Aug. 1, 2019

Robert Curtis Gross, Sr. ’48, an attorney and oil business executive of Portsmouth, R.I., was born on Oct. 22, 1926, in Nyack, N.Y., a son of the former Jean Michaud and Charles Gross. He attended Nyack High School.

On the Hill, Gross served as assistant manager of the baseball team, on the staff of WHC radio, and was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. He was awarded the Hawley Prize in Latin.

For Gross, the College’s name alone paved the way for success in life. “It’s amazing what a sheepskin can do for you when it bears the words Collegii Hamiltonensis,” he remarked in his 50th reunion yearbook. He noted that his degree led to graduation from a prestigious law school and a career with a world-­renowned oil company.

Gross earned a J.D. in 1950 from Cornell School of Law and practiced law privately for two years. In 1952, he began a 30-year career with Texaco, Inc., retiring as an officer of the corporation, heading the shareholder relations division, and serving in the executive department. Not one to remain idle, he then served as a docent at the Newport Car Museum in Rhode Island.

Gross died on Aug. 1, 2019. He was 92 years old and is survived by his wife of 32 years, the former Elizabeth “Lolly” Felter, three children, eight grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren. An earlier marriage to the former Roberta Stewart in 1953 had ended in divorce.

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