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Benefactor Richard Ballantine recognized for giving spirit
FLC Foundation Board member and long-time FLC benefactor Richard Ballantine has been recognized for his generosity and service. Ballantine has been awarded the 2018 Council for Advancement & Support of Education (CASE) District VI Volunteer of the Year Award, presented to people who have given time, talent, and/or gifts to further the success of education.
The award will be presented Monday, January 29, at the CASE VI Conference in St. Louis, Missouri. CASE is a professional organization for alumni, development, and advancement professionals involved with education colleges and universities, primary and secondary independent and international schools, and nonprofit organizations in more than 82 countries.
Ballantine has served FLC for more than four decades as a benefactor, governing board trustee and member of the college’s supporting foundation. He was named to the college’s governing board in 2003, one year after the college received its independence from the state Board of Agriculture which also governed Colorado State University and the University of Southern Colorado (Pueblo).
Although he retired as publisher of the Durango Herald in 2013, Ballantine continues as chairman of the board of Ballantine Communications. In addition to being an active member of the Foundation Board, he also serves with the boards for FLC Theatre and the Center of Southwest Studies.
Ballantine and his family are also the largest benefactors in FLC history, supporting the College with gifts ranging from a multi-million dollar collection of Native American weavings that served as a cornerstone of the Center of Southwest Studies, to funding for the Student Union media center named in his honor.
The Ballantines also donated the campus’ newest piece of public art, adorning the south wall of the Community Concert Hall, and just one of more than a dozen large and small works that the Ballantine family have given the College. On the academic side, the Ballantines also sponsor visiting faculty and guest lecturers, fund a post-doctoral fellowship, and provide scholarships and assistance to students in need.
“The presence of a college with strong liberal arts underpinnings makes Durango and Southwest Colorado much more appealing places to live, and I’m pleased to be able to add to Fort Lewis’ resources,” Ballantine said.