| Description |
THE UTAH NEWSPAPER HALL OF FAME county of his birth, and even today, is more a way of life than a geographical outline. Being 'a Sanpeter1 is a matter of outspoken pride to its sons and daughters - particularly those who've strayed to other climes. "Ross knew everyone and his reporting reflected this fact," wrote a long-time reader and admirer. "He understood, too, what made Ephraim viable and vital." Born July 8, 1898 at Fairview, a small community in the northeast portion of the county, he was the fifth and last son of a farmer devoted to dairying, Amasa Bernard Cox, and his wife, Caroline. Amasa's father, Orville Sutherland Cox, arrived in Utah in 1847 and was among the pioneer settlers of Sanpete County in 1849. Ross completed the eight grades of his small-town school, interrupted his education during a year of indecision, then went on to North Sanpete High School in Mt. Pleasant. He quickly became a leader, serving twice as class president, competing in football and basketball and whetting his appetite for journalism by serving on the staff of, and then editing, the school newspaper, a publication rather cleverly named The Enn-Ess-Aich. World War I was in progress during his high school years and on April 5, 1917 -- a day before the United States came into the conflict, Ross quit school to enlist in the Utah National Guard, which was being mobilized for active duty. He went to Europe with the 7th Trench Mortar Battery, and there found time to correspond for the Seventh Division newspaper and the Parisian version of the Chicago Tribune. Sergeant Cox was in charge of communications, which in the early morning of November 11, 1918, accidentally made him aware of the impending Armistice four or more hours before others in his outfit knew. He'd unintentionally plugged into a confidential Battalion-level message advising that the fighting would cease at 11 a.m.; then realized he'd be in serious trouble if he breathed a word before it was officially announced. "It pained me that we took casualties that morning even though some people knew the war was at an end," Ross would 467 |
