The son of immigrants from Latvia and Russia, Ross made millions manufacturing plastic sheeting and trash bags, and turned the profit from the company’s sale into more millions with investing. In 1983, he started a newspaper column called Thanks a Million, offering readers money for any worthwhile project.
In its heyday, the column ran in 800 newspapers and brought in 10,000 reader letters per week. He retired in 1999 when he had given away $30 million. “I’ve achieved my goal. I’ve given it all away,” Ross said in his farewell column. “You’ve given me so much over the years. In many respects, I’m far richer today than when I started.” Ross died November 10 at home in Minneapolis. He was 84.