▁First ▁World ▁War . ▁By ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁the ▁war ▁he ▁had ▁been ▁awarded ▁a ▁Pur ple ▁Heart ▁with ▁an ▁o ak ▁leaf ▁cluster . ▁ ▁After ▁the ▁war , ▁Ross ▁entered ▁the ▁Harvard ▁Gr adu ate ▁School ▁of ▁Architecture ▁in ▁ 1 9 2 1 , ▁gradu ating ▁four ▁years ▁later ▁in ▁ 1 9 2 5 . ▁He ▁would ▁spend ▁the ▁next ▁ten ▁years ▁working ▁as ▁a ▁draft s man ▁for ▁prominent ▁Boston ▁architect , ▁Edward ▁T . ▁P . ▁Graham ▁before ▁starting ▁his ▁own ▁firm ▁in ▁ 1 9 3 5 . ▁One ▁of ▁his ▁first ▁independent ▁projects , ▁Th atch er ▁House , ▁was ▁designed ▁for ▁his ▁al ma ▁mater ▁as ▁the ▁first ▁d orm ▁of ▁the ▁N ortheast ▁Res ident ial ▁Complex ▁and ▁the ▁oldest ▁d orm itory ▁still ▁in ▁use ▁on ▁campus ▁today . ▁His ▁first ▁design ▁was ▁seen ▁as ▁such ▁a ▁success ▁by ▁the ▁university ▁( by ▁this ▁time ▁known ▁as ▁Massachusetts ▁State ▁College ) ▁that ▁he ▁was ▁given ▁a ▁gold ▁medal ▁at ▁the ▁ 1 9 3 8 ▁comm enc ement ▁for ▁his ▁design ▁and ▁o vers ight ▁of ▁the ▁building ' s ▁construction . ▁This ▁would ▁be ▁the ▁first ▁of ▁over ▁ 2 0 ▁d orm itories ▁that ▁he ▁would ▁design ▁for ▁the ▁university , ▁among ▁other ▁buildings . ▁ ▁Although ▁not ▁as ▁widely ▁known ▁as ▁his ▁campus ▁work , ▁Ross ▁would ▁also ▁design ▁a ▁variety ▁of ▁buildings ▁in ▁the ▁towns ▁of ▁Am her st , ▁[[ N orth am pton ]{ , ▁Win