Ellis Rowe, one of the initial students in A Better Chance of Andover when it opened in 1967, has died at age 65 following a lengthy illness.
A 1970 graduate of Andover High School, when ABC of Andover was all-male, he went on to demonstrate the professional heights that a student of color from limited means can reach when given the kind of chance that ABC offers.
He graduated from Dartmouth College and was hired by Mobil Oil Corp. Later he worked for Max Factor & Co., and then joined a division of Mars Corp. and became group president before retiring 30 years later.
A champion of racial equity, he served as president of the Black Alumni of Dartmouth Association and received several awards from Dartmouth for his achievements and service. In 2016, the Brownsville Community in Miami, Florida honored him with the 2016 Home Grown Achievers Award.
Rowe returned to Andover twice during the last year for the 50th anniversary of ABC of Andover, which he praised as one of the "trilogy" of factors in his professional success. Volunteers recall how "Ellis made a big impact on bringing people together & connecting us all. It was so sweet of him to have the special M&Ms made for the gala - just one example of his thoughtfulness and the pleasure he got in bringing people together for the reunion".
"Before visiting, he asked for information about each current scholar's background and ambitions, with a particular attention toward science and math".
Ellis was one of the first to reply to 50th anniversary planning emails and remarked,
"Great to hear from you. I was in the first group of ABC students to attend AHS and a 1970 graduate. This summer (July 11-13, 2014) I was at Dartmouth College celebrating the 50th Anniversary of ABC's beginning at the College. It was a proud moment to be there with about 100 other ABC students who had that same experience. I'm still in touch with most of the 10 people that shared the experience at 134 Main Street [ABC of Andover], so will make sure they are aware of the planned reunion."
He was happy to help in whatever way he could and reached out to those ABC friends to reconnect, sometimes for the first time in 30 years.
Our deepest sympathy goes out to Ellis' family, friends, and ABC classmates.
ABC alumni and former teammates Van DeBose, ’70 (third from left), and, Ellis Rowe, ’70 (far right)
reunite with Andover High School coaches Dick Bourdelais, Chris Doherty, Biff Moriarty and Don Pattullo.
ABC alumni Ellis Rowe '70 and Minister LaKisha Williams '92 celebrate at the 50th Anniversary gala.
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