To Hawthorne High School students, Ken Ross is known as “The Sandwich Guy,” but he’s so much more than that. Ken has seen and done more things than most people. From flying a plane to going to Woodstock, Ken Ross is not just your ordinary man.

As a child, Ken’s dad was a pilot for the armed forces. After that he remained a pilot, flying commercial planes and cargo planes. “My father went on many trips, and I got to sit right by him,” Ken said. As Ken grew older, he wanted to go into the navy as a pilot, but due to some small injuries he could not. “Not going into the forces has been my only regret,” Ken said.

Ken went to Merrimack College where he played a lot of hockey, and he then went on to play on a minor league team. Also in college, Ken was involved in radio broadcasting. He was the voice of the baseball and hockey team.

Out of college, Ken took on many jobs. Down at Cape Cod, he worked as a caterer. He catered many meals in houses but most notably in the Kennedy Compound. Ken also worked as a wine importer. He met famous chefs such as Bobby Flay and Mario Batali. “I got to see so many fancy restaurants and meet a lot of important people,” Ken said.

One major job of Ken’s was his work in financing. He was in financing for over 29 years. Bergen Field Lighting was a notable company he worked for. While he worked there, he helped organize the wiring of the old Giants Stadium as well as the Newark Airport, both needing several thousand miles of wiring.

Ken is 61 years old and still follows his childhood hobbies. He’s been a hockey and baseball ref for the past 45 years. Ken now works in the cafeteria of the high school and says he enjoys it. “I’m a people person,” Ken said. He says he plans on working there “as long as I’m able to and still enjoying it.”