Archives West Finding Aid
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Oral history interview with Lawrence Ross, 2016
Overview of the Collection
- Interviewee
- Ross, Lawrence, 1937-
- Title
- Oral history interview with Lawrence Ross
- Dates
- 2016 (inclusive)20162016
- Quantity
- Originals as received: 1 digital audio file (WAV), 1 text file (PDF), and 1 image file (JPEG)
- Collection Number
- 6108 (Accession No. 6108-001)
- Summary
- Interview with a native-Seattlite who is part of the Jewish American community
- Repository
-
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu - Access Restrictions
-
No restrictions on access.
- Languages
- English
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Lawrence “Larry” Ross (1937- ) was born in Seattle. His parents emigrated separately from Russia in the early 1900s and met in Seattle. They married in 1929. He attended Garfield High School and the University of Washington. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting in 1959. He has been working for large accounting firms in the city ever since.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
Doris Stiefel interviewed Lawrence Ross on 14 June 2016. In the interview, Ross outlines his family's history. He grew up in the Madison and Madrona areas, attended local schools, and joined the AZA. His family belonged to Herzl congregation where he attended Hebrew school and had his Bar Mitzvah. As a student at the University of Washington he joined the Jewish fraternity of Sigma Alpha Mu. He graduated from the UW School of Business in 1959 with a BA in accounting. After passing the exam and completing the requisite two years of public accounting experience (with Wayne Droker), Ross obtained his CPA certificate. He then started his long career at the Seattle accounting firm, Friedman, Lobe and Block, and its successor firms. He details the history and growth of the firm. Founded as Friedman and Lighter in Seattle in the 1920s by Samuel Friedman and Jacob Lighter, it became Friedman, Lobe and Block and merged in 1969 with a national firm, Laventhol (Krekstein, Horwath) & Horwath. Subsequent to bankruptcy of the national firm, the Seattle partners regrouped and established the local firm, Bader Martin Ross and Smith, now known as Bader Martin. Ross comments on changes in the firm, on accounting practice in general, and in the Seattle Jewish community. Fewer students elect to go into accounting and there are fewer Jewish accountants coming into the profession. From being a predominantly Jewish accounting firm that had a large Jewish clientele and was actively involved in the Jewish community, it has evolved to a larger, more diverse firm that is no longer primarily Jewish and serves fewer Jewish businesses.
Other Descriptive InformationReturn to Top
Forms part of the Washington State Jewish Archives
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Alternative Forms Available
Listen to the audio recording and view the transcript of this interview on the Libraries Digital Collections site.
Restrictions on Use
Creator's copyrights transferred to the University of Washington Libraries Special Collections.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Accountants--Washington (State)--Seattle
- Accounting firms--Washington (State)--Seattle
- Greek letter societies--Washington (State)--Seattle
- Jewish college students--Washington (State)--Seattle
- Jews--Washington (State)--Seattle
- Jews--Washington (State)--Seattle--Interviews
Personal Names
- Ross, Lawrence, 1937---Family
- Ross, Lawrence, 1937---Interviews
Form or Genre Terms
- Oral histories
- Photographs
- Transcripts
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Stiefel, Doris J (interviewer)
Corporate Names
- Washington State Jewish Archives (University of Washington) (host institution)
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington)