George M. Ross, a key Philadelphia arts patron and leader of efforts to expand Drexel University, died of lung cancer Friday at age 77, The Philadelphia Inquirer writes.

Mr. Ross, an investment banker, spearheaded fund raising for the $154-million National Museum of American Jewish History, which opened in Philadelphia last fall.

A longtime trustee of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Mr. Ross was also active in the development of the Kimmel Center, which provides performance space for arts groups, and chaired the board of trustees at Drexel, his alma mater, in the 1990s, helping steer the school through a period of financial straits and declining enrollment.