Dr. William H. Ross a long time resident of Brentwood and extraordinary citizen was born on August 2, 1862 in Sparta, New York. He attended the Teachers College in Geneseo, New York where he received his undergraduate degree. In 1888, he received his medical degree from the College of Physicians and Surgeons and for the next two years he interned at the Presbyterian Hospital. After completing his internship, he planned to open a practice in New York City but decided to take the position of resident physician at the fashionable Austral Hotel in Brentwood, for the summer of 1890. He traveled to Brentwood with his wife, Francis Ellen Dodge Ross whom he married in 1889. According to the Brentwood Bulletin (September 1954) Dr. Ross "found the village so much to his liking that he decided to remain."

Dr. Ross setup residency in Brentwood during a time when due to the mode of transportation (horse and buggy) it was often difficult to travel to a patient’s home. Up until 1901, Dr. Ross relied on a horse and buggy to visit his patients but during that year he purchased a Northern motor car and was the first resident of Brentwood to own an automobile. As a family physician he tended to medical, psychological, and at times financial needs of his patients. There were times when the Doctor had to rely on unconventional medicine and equipment and he was paid often with farm produce. As the needs of the community grew, he opened a nursing home that later became known as the Ross Sanitarium or Ross Health Resort. Established in 1898, Dr. Ross served as director for 45 years. Although the home was available to anyone who needed their services, many wealthy people were attracted to the resort. The facility had a capacity of fifty patients as noted in the 1914-1915 Polk Medical Register and Directory of North America.

Dr. Ross was known for his selfless dedication to the Brentwood Community through the many hours he served on committees and organizations that helped to establish the community. He was a member of the School Board, helped with the incorporation of the Fire District and Brentwood Cemetery Association, a trustee of the Presbyterian Church, organized the Brentwood Civic Association and the Central Islip National Bank. He repeatedly involved himself with every civic concern up until shortly before his death.

A well known figure in the medical profession, Dr. Ross assisted in the establishment of the Suffolk County Tuberculosis Sanitarium and served as the president of the Associated Physicians of Long Island, president of the Suffolk County Medical Association and as chairman to the advisory committee. He was a member of the New York Academy of Medicine, and a fellow of the American Medical Association. In 1931 he served as president of the Medical Society of the State of New York where he was a member of the

society since 1900.

Doctor and Mrs. Ross had three children, a son who died when he was an infant and two daughters, Mrs. Glady Chauvin of New York and Mrs. Randall J. Le Boeuf of Old Westbury, Long Island. He died on May 9,1955 at his home. M. Koferl  June 2006