Greg Ross Recaps Patterson-Strauss Travel Grant Trip to Pearl Harbor

Associate athletic director and boys basketball coach Greg Ross received the Patterson-Strauss Travel Grant for the 2021-22 school year. Ross spent time during the summer in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.  

The Patterson-Strauss Travel Grant is given to one faculty or staff member each year and serves to fund a summer sabbatical program for full-time teaching faculty who have completed 15 years of service The fund honors long-time faculty members Bob Patterson and Tony Strauss. They individually had many interests and passions, but their love of teaching, teachers, and students was consistent between both. Their legacy is to refresh and renew Country Day faculty through travel grants, to expand and reignite curiosity and allow faculty to bring new perspectives and ideas into their classrooms. 

For Ross, he was initially interested in the grant because he knew Strauss and Patterson during his first few years at Country Day.  

"Tony Strauss had an office right next to mine during my first few years, and not a day passed that he wouldn't stop in my office to offer words of wisdom and encouragement or to see how I was doing," said Ross. "Knowing Bob and his carefree personality and the way he loved life every day and Tony and his love for history and travel, it was an honor and a blessing to receive this grant based on them."  

Ross said he has always been interested in visiting Hawaii, specifically Oahu and Pearl Harbor, because of a family connection.  

"My wife and I have both always wanted to visit Pearl Harbor and tour the USS Arizona and USS Missouri battleships. My wife's grandfather served in the military and received a purple heart for his courage and bravery in World War II. His stories have always stuck with me," said Ross. "The way he talked about Pearl Harbor and his recollection of the war gave me chills. Now, my niece serves in the Navy as one of the youngest females in Navy history in her ranking, so I've always been interested in Navy history." 

Besides the Navy, Ross is also interested in Hawaiian culture, traditions, and cuisine. While there, he and his family experienced a traditional Hawaiian luau and were fully immersed in the festivities. He also took a tour of Honolulu, toured the island, and spent time on the beaches.  

"It was truly the trip of a lifetime," said Ross. "I could not be more grateful for an opportunity like this. The fact that Country Day supports and encourages faculty and staff to go on these trips is something I'll never take for granted while working here."