CONWAY — Dr. Barry Ballard,
76, joined his heavenly Father on August 2, 2021, leaving many friends, colleagues and family whose lives he touched. Barry was born in Charleston, South Carolina, where his father, an Air Force pilot, was stationed. Family left behind include his wife, Linda Beene Ballard, daughter, Angela Dawn Koke (Curtis Osterloh), son, Jeffery Bryan Ballard (Dana); grandchildren, Alexandra Koke Loupe (Dakota), Carson Koke, Madelyn Ballard, Jonathan Ballard; sister, Brenda Metzinger (Kenny), sister-in-law, Linda Youngberg Ballard as well as many nieces, nephews and dear friends. Barry was preceded in death by his mother, Marie Dixon Ballard, father, James H. Ballard, and brothers, Dan Roy Ballard and Greg Ballard.
Barry Ballard believed strongly in Jesus Christ as his personal savior; and as a Christian, he endeavored to practice Christ’s teaching. He organized and led the first statewide Governor’s prayer breakfast in 1988 and helped many people in Christian love. Dr. Ballard was passionate about accredited instruction, college graduation rates and workforce preparation for Arkansas adults and traditional students. After designing and constructing a system of technical colleges for the World Bank in Brazil and in four states, he led Texas State Technical College in Waco. He was recruited in 1981 by then-Governor Frank White to join his Cabinet to rebuild Arkansas’ vocational technical schools into community colleges, and he continued that effort well into Governor Clinton’s tenure as well as in the private school sector.
Barry left the field of education for financial services which he personally enjoyed and devoted himself to helping his clients manage their investments. In 2001 his dream job became reality as he was named president of Ouachita Technical College. Before his retirement in 2011 as President Emeritus, he led the college through a name-change to College of the Ouachitas and significantly improved instructional quality and graduation rates. As a result the college was named one of the top ten community colleges in the nation by Aspen Institute in Washington DC. After a decade in his dream job, Barry explained his retirement by saying, “No male relative on either side of my family has lived longer than age 76.” He enjoyed his retirement with family, golf, travel, and ministry until he reached age 76.
After graduating from Duncan (Okla) High School, Barry earned Associate, Bachelors, Masters and Doctoral degrees from Oklahoma State University. Dr. Ballard was named a Paul Harris Fellow by Rotary International and held memberships in Lion’s Club, Chambers of Commerce, as well as numerous local, state and national professional and civic organizations. Most recently he enjoyed singing in the Woodland Heights Baptist Church (WHBC) choir and Conway Men’s Chorus. Golf was Barry’s favorite hobby having learned the game as a youngster from his grandfather. Fall was his favorite season for sports that he enjoyed as well as the chance to be alone in the woods. Barry was a licensed instrument-rated private pilot during the height of his career flying to statewide locations for college visits and major national airports. He enjoyed U.S. and international travel especially when the experience included seeing historical sites, and his favorite books and movies detailed lives of former U.S. presidents.
A celebration of Barry Ballard’s life will begin with visitation at noon followed by the memorial service at 1 p.m., on Saturday, August 21, at Woodland Heights Baptist Church, 4215 Prince Street, in Conway. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Barry’s name to WHBC or the Salvation Army.