Ross W. Ketchum, Director                                     Jefferson Parish, Louisiana               
Submitted by N.O.V.A., May 2005            
Source:  Times Picayune 07-12-1995 

Submitted to the LAGenWeb Archives
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Pumping Station Director Ross W. Ketchum, 67, Dies

Ross W. Ketchum, retired director of the Jefferson Parish Department of Drainage 
Pump Station Operations, died Tuesday of cancer at his home. He was 67.

Mr. Ketchum was born in Madison, Wis., and lived in Jefferson Parish for more 
than 40 years. He was a graduate of the University of Wisconsin and was a 
Navy veteran. 

He worked for Shell Oil Co. and the city of Kenner before joining the staff of 
Jefferson Parish 25 years ago, first as director of roads and bridges. 

He was appointed technical assistant to then-Parish President Joseph Yenni in 
1980. He was responsible for supervising $80 million in improvements to parish 
pumping stations. 

Yenni created the Department of Drainage Pump Station Operations in 1984 and 
named Mr. Ketchum its director.

He was instrumental in implementing the parish's Geographical Information 
System, a computer system that stores, analyzes and displays a variety of
geographically based data, and the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition 
System, a computer network that monitors Jefferson's drainage systems. 

He was a member of the American Public Works Association and the Institute 
of Transportation Engineers. 

Survivors include a daughter, Kristine K. McDaniel of Summit, Miss.; and three 
grandchildren. 

A Mass will be said today at 11 a.m. at Lamana-Panno-Fallo Funeral Home, 
1717 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie. Visitation will begin at 9 a.m. Burial 
will be in Hollywood Cemetery in McComb, Miss.