Doug Ross and Chriss Davies-Ross

Doug Ross and Chriss Davies-Ross

None of the many diplomas in Chriss and Doug's Roanoke, VA, home bears the Roanoke College seal-yet. But because their daughter Katie '09 attends Roanoke, they and the college have become great PALs.

The Parents Associate Leadership (PAL) is the leadership group of Roanoke College parents who are members of the Associates Program and who are benefactors of the school. Meeting during Family Weekend, they provide the College parental insight and support, assist admissions in recruiting prospective students, and encourage parent participation in programs, activities, and events such as Orientation Weekend to support their son's or daughter's educational experience. PAL's chair serves on the Board of Trustees as an ex-officio member.

"Because we both attended schools similar to Roanoke College, we appreciate the value of a small liberal arts school," says Chriss, an Indiana native who graduated from Hanover College and earned an M.S. in counseling from Virginia Tech. Doug, a Hampden-Sydney alumnus, received his DDS from the Medical College of Virginia.

Having spent several years working in the Washington, D.C. political scene, Chriss and her first husband relocated to Roanoke. Her initial involvement with Roanoke College came through a job in Development. "I was hired on the same day as was Mike Maxey," she proclaims. "I know the school from the inside out." A high-risk pregnancy with Katie caused her to resign.

When Katie was two years old, Chriss's first husband died unexpectedly. "For a couple of years," explains Chriss, "it was just the two of us" until she met and married Doug, a Roanoke dentist. As Katie began her college search, Chriss pulled out a map and drew a circle, using Roanoke as its center. She told her daughter that "you can go to colleges only within this circle because I cannot bear for you to be too far away." Katie's decision to attend Roanoke College delighted her mother.

Being PALs enables the Rosses to continue their involvement with their daughter, an English major, by being informed about campus news and events. In her PAL role, Chriss finds attending some of the same on-campus receptions as Katie. Chriss, who operates Conflict Resolution and Mediation Services, often is in the Roanoke County Courthouse; on these days, mother and daughter meet for coffee and klatch.

"We are so grateful to the College for being here," Chriss says. And the College is so grateful for the Rosses' support with their time, talent, and other resources. Being there for each other-that's what PALs do best.