Ross Potoff
Ross Potoff was born and raised by his mother and father, David and Mollie Potoff, in Waterbury, Connecticut. At the age of seven, Ross was sweeping and cleaning his father’s manufacturing factory, and by the age of 12 he was promoted to the commercial darkroom facility where he made lithographic plates and silkscreens for cosmetic product containers. Noticing her son’s skills with machines and tools, his mother enrolled him in an exploratory skills program at Warren F. Kaynor Regional High School where he excelled in coursework and studies related to precision machining.
- Following high school, Ross enrolled at Waterbury State Technical College to study mechanical engineering.
- During his first year at Waterbury State, he scored well on the Air Force aptitude test, which led him to pursue his education and training in the military.
- His tours of duty were focused on high-tech camera systems in Vietnam and at Davis Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona.
- Following his military service, Ross began a 40-year career with the University of Arizona’s Optical Sciences Center, where he designed precision machinery and optics devices for research projects conducted by the University of Arizona.
His responsibilities included training 18 doctoral students and hosting optics scientists from around the world who came to tour the prestigious research center.
Ross retired from the University of Arizona in 2012.