Stanley R. Ross Papers

An outstanding teacher, scholar and influential administrator of Mexican Studies, Stanley R. Ross was born August 8, 1921 in New York City. In 1942, he graduated Summa cum laude from Queens College before going on to complete his Master's (1943) and doctoral (1951) degrees at Columbia University.

Stan's interest in Latin America began while attending Columbia where Frank Tannenbaum, Columbia's leading specialist on Mexico, became his mentor. He studied Spanish by reading Latin American literature and conversing with fellow Spanish-speaking students. A grant from the U.S. State Department allowed him to spend several summers in Mexico and with the help of the Dougherty Foundation Fellowship, he was able to complete his dissertation research in Mexico.

In 1955, Ross published his political biography entitledFrancisco I. Madero, Apostle of Mexican Democracy. He benefited from researching the papers in Madero's archive in Mexico, as well as interviews with Mexican revolutionists and Madero's widow.

Ross began his professional career in 1960 as a professor at the University of Nebraska. His interest in Mexico continued to grow and he traveled to Mexico for collaboration with Mexican scholars on theHistoria documental de Mexico. He also editedIs the Mexican Revolution Dead? before moving to the State University of New York as a professor and chairman of the Department of History.

In 1968, he took a position at the University of Texas at Austin as a Professor of History and Director of the Institute of Latin American Studies (ILAS). He worked to increase the prestige of UT's ILAS center by bringing the newLatin American Research Review and encouraging other departments to hire specialists in this field. He became Provost for Arts and Sciences in 1971 and Vice President in 1973, where he was supportive of academic improvements across campus and continued to offer constant encouragement to ILAS to broaden the engagement of campus in Latin American studies. After changes were made in the administration and Ross' roles were decreased, he resigned. In 1976, he returned to full-time in Mexican Studies in the Department of History and as Coordinator of the United States/Mexico Border Research Program and the Office for Mexican Studies. He continued to build close ties with Mexico, especially working to collaborate with the University of Mexico and the Colegio de Mexico.

Ross died on February 10, 1985, leaving behind a legacy of teaching, administrating and scholarship.

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