By Alan Suderman
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Highland Springs resident Wayne Ross just started a new career in politics. The retired CPA and Air Force pilot was recently appointed to a two-year term on the City of Dallas Senior Affairs Commission. The commission, which acts as a liaison between the city government and local older adults, meets monthly to make policy recommendations to the city council on issues affecting seniors.

“This will be a great way to get to learn how the city works,” Ross says. “Plus, I’ve never been to City Hall.” Trying new things comes naturally to Ross. In a year at Highland Springs, he has helped with the resident library and started the government affairs club, which brings politicians to the community for talks with question and answer sessions.

Ross brings a refreshing dose of optimism to the political process. “If you think we are in trouble—if you think the government is doing something wrong—then you have to participate,” he says. “I’m not sure I can move any mountains, but I can have my voice heard.”

In addition to joining several resident-run clubs, he has taught computer classes on campus, a natural decision since he’s been using computers for more than 30 years.

Ross was in Philadelphia in 1977 when his pocket calculator broke. In a store where he planned to buy a replacement, a strange contraption caught his eye. It was one of the first personal computers on the market, a Commodore Personal Electronic Transactor (PET). He bought the computer on the spot and spent many hours learning how to use it.

“The manual that came with it was a riot, an absolute riot!” Ross says. “It may as well have been in Japanese, so I just figured out how to use the thing myself.” Ross still keeps up with computers and currently owns four of them.