Dr. Allan Lowell Ross

Eulogy by Art DeBolt

Allan Ross is my best friend.   I have known Allan for 58 years . He lived in Phoenix a few streets over from my grandparents’ home where we visited each summer.  We shared the same hobby building and flying model airplanes.  We focused on the gas-powered free flight gliders that we would chase over the phoenix desert. We would enter local competitions that Allan and/or his father would usually place or win.  In 1963 the national model airplane championships were held at the Navy airfield in Los Alamitos CA. At that meet Allan 3 national records in the various class of airplanes.  Even as a young man Allan was extremely competitive and excelled at what he was doing.  When he was 13 became an Eagle Scout. At age 16 Allan took that love of flying to the next level and obtained his private pilot’s license and shortly thereafter his glider pilot rating.

We never got in real trouble, but that just meant that we never got caught.  My mother thought Allan was too mischievous.   Allan younger sister Mary told me their mother thought I was a bad influence on Allan.  I think both of our moms were correct.  I’ll share a couple of our youthful stunts.

There is a mountain in North Phoenix then called Squaw Peak now renamed Piestewa peak after the first native American killed in the first gulf war.   We decided to set the top of the mountain on fire. We hiked to the top in the late afternoon carrying a plastic wading pool and a gallon of gasoline. We rigged a book of matches over the pool with a length of fuse material that burned slowly. We raced home and sat on Allan roof in the dark, finally we saw the flash of a fire ball but no huge fire. 

Another time we decided to make hot air balloons.  We took plastic bags from the dry cleaners, made an X with balsa wood strips, placed a candle in the middle, a few minutes the bag filled with hot air and up it went until the candle blew out.  That was cool we thought, so we made a bigger one with a bigger candle.  It looked good until the whole thing caught fire a few hundred feet in the air dripping flaming plastic. And then it hit us we could set someone’s house on fire.  We chased the balloon and fortunately the flames went out and dropped away from any homes.

Allan and I both went to Arizona State University. I pursued a degree in business while Allan followed a pre-med course of study, and joined the Reserve Officer training Corps at ASU. Upon Graduation in 1971 he enlisted in the Army as a second lieutenant and went to medical school in Colorado. He graduated medical school in 1975 as a Captain in the US Army Medical Corps.   In 1979, He completed his residency and training program in Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Cardiac Anesthesia. He was retained on the teaching staff, educating fellow doctors and lecturing nationally and internationally on anesthesia for cardiac and cardiothoracic surgical procedures.

 In  1971 Allan was best man at my wedding to Barbara. my wife of almost 50 years  .  After that until 1981 we had very little contact with of each other.

Out of the blue In 1981 I received a call from Allan.  He was stationed in San Francisco and had a house to sell and needed advice.  I was a real estate broker. I flew up there and helped him find an agent who happened to have a buyer. And basically we got the house sold in one weekend.  Allan asked what he owed me.  I said nothing, why don’t we trade services.  I asked if he would do the epidural anesthesia for Barbara at the birth of our youngest daughter Amanda in Oct 1981.  He agreed and my wife’s OB got him privileges at the hospital.  It was there that I saw first hand the exceptional physician Allan had become.  Before labor began, Allan inserted the tubing into Barbara’s back, taped it up and draped the tubing over her shoulder.  Now he could inject the anesthetic during labor without her needing to turn over. The nurses marveled; they had never seen this technique before.  That was Allan at the forefront, ahead of the curve in his medical profession.  

Years later I met one of Allan’s ex-Army friends who was chief of Anesthesia at Shriners hospital in SF.   He told me that Allan was one of the top 5 Anesthesiologists in the country.  I told him This was not surprising to me, I’d known him since we were kids and he was always the best at whatever he did.

After the birth I took Allan out to dinner and a little celebration. Well, maybe too much celebration because the next morning my mother called and asked if she had another grandchild.  This was before cell phones and I had forgotten to call both grandmothers.  When I told her I was with Allan that didn’t help. She said she would come over only to help Barbara but not me.

In 1986 Allan left the Army with the rank of Major and began his private practice at Chula Vista Community Hospital. In 1987, working with the medical staff and hospital administration, he led the effort to develop a Cardiac Catherization and Surgical program at the hospital.

In 1991, Allan repeated the effort in developing an Obstetric Anesthesia program. Again, with the same forward-thinking results. These successes and expansion of this small community hospital, eventually resulted in its takeover and becoming the Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center.

Allan retired from his anesthesia practice in 2000 following an injury in an auto accident.  This forced retirement allowed Allan to pursue his business  interests outside of medicine.

In 1998, Allan merged a wireless applications company with a networking company to co-found Wireless Telematics  an engineering company focused on the remote sensing, monitoring and controlling of widely distributed assets.  In addition Allan’s interest and passion for aviation led to his direct involvement and investment in Kellyspace and Technology and Fenix Space. Both companies developing rapid satellite launch capabilities using towed gliders as launch platforms.  Again Allan the visionary pushing the curve in his business ventures.

When Allan got out of the Army he stayed at our home for about a month until he relocated in San Diego.  My daughters enjoyed his company and listening to our conversations.  As they got older one of said to Barbara, I can’t believe they talk to each other the way they do. I told my daughter that’s the way guys are with their friends. The impact Allan had on my girls is best summarized best in card I received yesterday from one of Anne’s friends it read:  “In my 20 years of friendship with Anne, hearing Allan’s name was a regular occurrence. He was spoken about with such high regard and love that an outsider would assume he was family vs. a best friend”

Since we reconnected in the early 80’s we spoke at least once a week.  We were each others sounding board.  He would call to discuss his businesses and how to deal with the myriad of problems associated with their operations.   Likewise He was my on call Dr. anytime any day. If I was worried or panicked about medical problem with Barbara or one of the kids he would calmly say “Common things most commonly”.  Or if a surgery was pending, he would say ask the surgeons how many of the procedures had he done and his complication rate.  You want him to have done at least 300 that way he has encountered almost all the complications.   

And could Allan explain things with such clarity and analogies that anyone could understand the topic. Betty once told me Ask Allan the time and he will build you a watch.

Allan above all loved is family. He constantly spoke of Betty and the children.  I remember the first time I met Betty. It was in a procedure room with Allan correcting another physician’s botched epidural on my daughter Anne.   I could tell they liked each other.  It was not too long after that they were married.  Like the friend I was I told Allan she was too good for him and if ever there were any problems I would be on her side.

Lastly and most importantly I remember the call a few years ago from Allan saying he and Betty had completed classes and had decided to be baptized into the Catholic Church.  I told him then that I was happy for him and that I had been noticing a subtle change in his personality and wondered what was going on. It was like an edge being taken off a sharp blade. He was not as intense as he usually was. He was a changing man.   I reminded him how ironic it was that he was now a Catholic. Allan, I and my grandfather, a devout Catholic were discussing “Over population of the earth” ( the climate change mantra of the 1960’s) Allan said “ here we have the Catholics and Mormons like a bunch of rabbits in a race to see who can have the most children”.  My grandfather then told him to leave the house and never come back.

Over the last few years we often talked about issues of faith, the pilgrimages they had been on and he and Bettys increasing involvement in the Church.  More than once he commented he wished he had done this when the children were young.

I began this eulogy saying Allan Ross IS my friend. I didn’t say WAS  my friend  because Allan is still  alive, he is just not here in his earthly form.  There is a common certainty that Allan had that guarantees we will meet again in heaven. That common certainty is our belief in the saving grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.   We will meet again my friend.