IU honors local hero

Charlie Nelms says he knew Jimmy Ross as long as anybody. From 1998 when Nelms became IU's Vice Chancellor for Academic Support and Diversity to seven months ago when Ross passed away, the two chatted daily. When Nelms visited IU for the first time in the 1970s as a student, Ross set up Nelms' first tour of campus. \nBut their friendship goes all the way back to the days when Nelms still milked Holstein cows at a historically black college in Arkansas. \n"It was a hot, humid June day," he said. "Jimmy Ross greeted me with a smile, and I instantly felt comfortable, felt like I belonged."\nRoss had that magical effect on people, friends said. \nBob Magee, director of IU admissions from 1979 to 1997, said the only word for Jimmy is saint. Friend Bill Buher said you always felt better after talking to him. \nOn Wednesday friends from IU and the community gathered to honor the IU trailblazer at a lunch at Colorado Steakhouse. The Northside Bloomington Exchange Club, of which Ross was a long-time member, presented IU with a check for $1,800. \nThe money will be used for the Jimmy L. Ross Endowment Fund for Diversity Initiatives, a seven-figure endowment used to support K-12 outreach, sustain a diverse climate at IU and provide scholarships for needy students. \nRoss led IU's Office of Scholarship and Financial Aid from 1973 to 1988 and helped create the modern national student loan program. He was the first African-American to lead a major administrative area at IU. \nA degenerative spinal condition forced Ross into early retirement in 1988, and he died in May 2002. \nDavid Hummons, a member of the Exchange Club, said the idea for the endowment materialized just hours after Ross's May 23rd death. He said it symbolizes Ross's philosophy of positively impacting others.\nThe club raised the money at their annual fish fry in August. Next year, the event will be renamed in Ross' honor.\nNelms said Ross was a devoted, caring friend to all students. \n"He was an optimist if you ever met one," Nelms said. "He had a passion for excellence and equity. He never met a stranger."\nHis life companion, Nancy, said IU was Ross's heart and soul. \n"He would have had his head held high today with a big smile on his face, thinking that wonderful people are carrying on something precious to him," she said.