Richard (Dick) Ballentine, age 85
After attending Wittenburg University and graduating from the University of Michigan School of Law, Dick has had a varied career, and has followed that with a wide variety of volunteer activities in our community. He served in the Army JAG Corps, had a private law practice in Ohio, served on the legal staff at Dow Corning Corp., and finished his career as VP and General Counsel at Butler Manufacturing Co. Dick is also an author: he and Bill Eddy co-authored the book “Hiking Kansas City.” After his retirement in 1999, Dick provided his service and expertise to a number of philanthropic organizations: he served as chair of The Rehabilitation Institute, chair of The Learning Exchange, chair of First Lutheran Church Redevelopment Task Force, co-chair for Kansas City Consensus, and served on the boards at Inroads, Inc., and Friends of the UMKC Conservatory. He is also an active volunteer for the KC Shepherd’s Center, leading our Current Events discussions at Adventures in Learning each Friday. “Dick has always been willing to share his ideas when asked, is very supportive of others, and inspires others to work together on projects,” his nominator says. He and his wife, Emily, have two children (Karen and Jeff), five grandchildren and one great-grandchild. “Service has enriched my life and helped support organizations that enrich our community.”
