PIMCO’s founder this week gave his readers a bit more than his usual
In particular, Bill Gross pontificates about his name going as far as writing: “I wish I’d asked my parents how they came up with mine, because I’ve never really been a good ‘Bill.’”
To be sure, Gross adds that: “That is not to say that I’m uncomfortable in my own skin – I usually am – but I’ve never really been at ease with the name.”
Gross further explains that his last name refers to “twelve dozen or 144” and that the number has crept up in more places (his first home was on 14401 La Mancha and his home for the last 25 years has been 144 Seabring Way. he was born in 1944on 4/13 instead of 4/14 at 9:36 p.m., which he only recently calculated to be 144 minutes short of the 4/14/44 date) in his life than would be deemed otherwise normal.
But what currently bothers Gross the most about his name is that he keeps getting advertising pamphlets in the mail from Jewish mausoleums. “Seems like half the Grosses in the world are Christian and half are Jewish,” he wrote.
“The Christians don’t seem to be concerned about my hereafter, but the followers of the Jewish faith do. For that I’m thankful, but I’d prefer not to be reminded of my impending doom, so at 68 I wish I wasn’t a Gross. Not a Bill, not a Gross – go figure.”
