Ross School Mourns Passing Of Beloved Founder: 'We Are Heartbroken'

EAST HAMPTON, NY —The Ross School is mourning the loss of its beloved founder, Courtney Sale Ross.

A heartfelt statement by the Ross School on social media Tuesday announced the news.

Subscribe

"It is with profound sadness and deep love that we share the news of the passing of Courtney Sale Ross, founder, visionary and the heart of Ross School and the Ross Institute," the statement read.

"Courtney left us peacefully in her sleep with her daughter Nicole by her side and surrounded by family. Courtney and her beloved husband Steven J. Ross were both visionaries and titans," the statement read.

Steven J. Ross, former co-CEO of Time Warner, died in 1992.

"In 1991, together they began what would become one of the most ambitious experiments in American education: a school rooted in the belief that children deserve to be educated for the whole world, not just the world they know," the statement read. "Courtney elected the Ross School motto to be 'Know thyself, in order to serve' as a beacon of hope for a better world."

The statement continued: "What started as a handful of students in East Hampton grew into a global movement, from the classrooms of Ross School to the public schools of Stockholm, the charter schools of New York City, the museums of Shanghai, and the halls of the United Nations."

Courtney, the Ross School said, "was guided always by an unshakable conviction; that the future would demand more of our children, and that it was our responsibility and privilege to prepare them for it."

The school also offered a message to students.

"To our students, past and present; you are her legacy," the statement said. "Every question you ask, every border you cross with curiosity instead of fear, every moment you choose to understand rather than judge, that is Courtney Sale Ross, alive in the world. The Ross School will carry her vision forward. That is not a promise we make lightly, that is the only promise that matters now. We are heartbroken. We are also grateful for her vision, her courage, her generosity, and the extraordinary gift she has bestowed upon us all."