Ron Ansin Trustee, Parent, Benefactor, Friend

by Joseph Sheppard P’93, ’94

As Dan Scheibe wrote to the LA community shortly after Ron Ansin’s passing over the summer, “Ron was a generational force at Lawrence Academy, serving the school as a trustee over five decades, from the 1980s to the 2020s. Ron’s leadership and governance skills were unparalleled, but what set him apart was his ability to connect with and relate to everyone around him from an unshakable base of decency and affection.

“Ron claimed all of the available real estate on an LA nametag: P’80, ’83, ’85, ’87; GP’03, ’05, ’14. Fittingly, his manner of care to an institution was as a thoughtful parent or grandparent: He asked, ‘What can we do to ensure the health and happiness of future generations through the things we uphold and create?’

In trying to pinpoint LA’s unique quality, Ron noted, “It’s the very warm, supportive atmosphere that they can see just by looking around the Quad.” Ron carried this quality of warmth and support with him and shared it generously.

Ron Ansin always remembered your name. And once you’d met him, you couldn’t forget the warm smile, the firm handshake, and the kind words with which he greeted you every time you saw each other.

Successful in business for many years, Ron became a philanthropist — not because that’s what one does when one has the means to do so, but because it gave him pleasure to give in ways that made things better. It was just in his nature. He saw four children and three grandchildren through Lawrence Academy and was deeply grateful for what the school did for them.

“To me, when I give, the major thing that is in my mind is what LA has done for my children,” he said a few years ago. “That’s what really opens the eyes of parents to why Lawrence is a special place.”

Ron joined LA’s Board of Trustees in 1980 and was a regular presence on campus for many years thereafter. He attended shows and concerts, marched in the Graduation procession, and came to parents’ and grandparents’ days. “Shortly after I became a trustee, way back in the early ’80s,” he told the Academy Journal several years ago, “I was walking across campus one night as the sun was setting. It’s a beautiful sight, just gorgeous. I looked at the buildings and the grounds and the way the school was laid out, and I thought, ‘Gee, a lot of people have worked very hard over a period of about 200 years, at that time, to make this school what it is today’. Then I said to myself, ‘Now it’s my generation’s turn to see what we can do.’”

What Ron did over the years was to transform the face and heart of the campus. The beautiful classroom building that bears his family’s name is witness to his belief in the school and its mission. More broadly, he simply gave Lawrence Academy students space to learn.

To all who knew him, Ron’s legacy lives in their hearts. To those who will never have the good fortune to meet him, the Ansin name will be revered in the history of Lawrence Academy — and you’ll hear it often.

Thank you, Ron. We will miss your uplifting presence.

Many members of the larger Lawrence community — alumni, present and former faculty, and friends — have written notes of condolence on the LA website. We offer a sampling here, leaving the writers anonymous:

Graduate: Ron combined personal warmth, creativity, confidence, tremendous strength of character, and a deep concern for the well-being of every student, every faculty member and administrator, every staff member, and every fellow trustee. No one in my memory was more dedicated to Lawrence Academy and more generous in supporting its mission, celebrating its successes, and envisioning its future. He was an amazing and wonderful human being. We were so lucky to have him on our team.

Graduate: I had the good fortune to meet Ron Ansin more than 20 years ago when I was visiting the campus. In our short time together, Ron made a profound impression. Even so, I realized that there was much more to this man than met my eye, and I hoped I would see him again sometime soon and get to know him better. That never happened, and I’m sorry for that.

I did, though, have occasion some years later to meet one of Ron’s grandsons, a then-recent graduate. This young man was intelligent and ever so gracious, just like his grandfather. I was happy for this encounter.

The Lawrence Academy community has indeed lost a dear and inspirational friend.

Parent of Alumni and Trustee: Always a smile, always a greeting by your first name, a bright, beautiful beam of light that will always shine in our hearts and souls. I am grateful to have known him and served with him on the board. And mostly to have learned from this giant of a man. He once told me in regard to philanthropy… “Give until it feels good.”

Graduate: I had the pleasure of meeting Ron several times at Lawrence Academy (I worked in the College Office for several years in the 1990s). He was always lovely and gracious to everyone he met. His grandson, Ryan, an equally lovely young man, was a classmate of our son, Dylan (they graduated together in ’05). Our hearts, prayers, and thoughts are with the Ansin family. Sending them our condolences and strongest hugs.

Graduate: So sorry for your loss and thankful for all you and your family have done for LA. An exemplary example of commitment and service.

Parent of Alumni: Ron was someone who could talk to everyone and anyone no matter their status in this world. He always had a smile for all. He truly cared for LA. He will be truly missed by an abundance of people from all walks of life, especially the Lawrence Academy family.