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| Birth: | 15 Sep 1926 |
| Death: | 19 Feb 2007 |
| Sex: | M |
| Father: | Russell Ward Ballard b. 25 Nov 1893 in Donnellson, Montgomery County, Illinois |
| Mother: | Ethel Marion Horn b. 12 Oct 1893 in Shelby Co., Texas |
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| Changed: 5 Aug 2007 12:34 |
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Individual:
WILLIAM LEE BALLARD - known fondly as Billy, died February 19th of lung cancer in Sarasota, Florida, with his children at his side. He was 80.
Born September 15, 1926, Billy grew up in the steel mill town of East Chicago, Indiana. The family moved to Chicago when his father became director of a large reformatory school and Bill finished high school at the University of Chicago.
He enlisted in the navy at 17 and served as a radio operator on the aircraft carrier, the USS Puget Sound. He returned to the University of Chicago after his service, where he earned a Masters degree in psychology, working with autistic children under Bruno Bettelheim at the Orthogenic School at the University of Chicago. By then he had settled with his wife, Patricia Wandell, in the Hyde Park/Kenwood neighborhood.
Like many clinical psychologists of his time, Billy Ballard was seduced into advertising through market research; He became Director of Research for the John Shaw Agency, working on the Colgate account. This eventually led him away from psychology and from the beloved university community, to begin a long and colorful career in New York and Connecticut, in what was then the exciting and creative field of advertising.
He settled in Greenwich, CT with his wife, Patricia and their children, making the daily commute on the line to New York.
The suburban/urban commute was a drudge. To fend off the boredom, Billy and his buddies spiced up their train time with lively and regular games of poker and gin rummy. Games were happening both to and from the city. The guys would claim a four-seater, balance a game board on their knees, and begin the shuffle and deal. Back in those days, a smoke and a pop were not frowned upon, so there was some of that, too.
At the Ted Bates Agency in New York, Billy quickly moved up the ladder to become Senior Vice President on the Colgate Palmolive account. Billy has been described by many who worked with and for him as a brilliant advertising man and one of the best-liked guys on Madison Avenue. But, he didn't stay in the city.
In late 1971, or early 1972, Billy became one of the original founders of North Castle Partners, a small advertising group that soon came to be regarded as "The Madison Avenue Agency in Greenwich, CT".
North Castle Partners blossomed, becoming the largest ad agency in Connecticut, with major clients such as Colgate Palmolive, Joseph E. Seagram, Tetley, Ocean Spray, Pearl Brewing, US Tobacco, AT&T, Standard Brands, Iroquois Brands, Lea & Perrins, to name a few.
One of the agency's most celebrated successes was the marketing and advertising of what was then considered a product long shot Captain Morgan Spice Rum. Enough said.
Much of the company's success can be credited to Billy's keen insight. He had an eye for good copy and a great campaign. From early on he possessed an enviable confidence in his own judgment and showed unfaltering trust in his creative team. He firmly believed it was best to trust the talent of the creative team and their gut feelings over analysis from costly focus groups. He strongly believed that the general shift in the industry's focus from trusting raw talent to relying on monitored groups was an enormous failing in later advertising.
After the death of his beloved 3rd wife, Suzy, he spent his retirement years mostly in Sarasota, Florida, traveling to the city he loved, Paris, and visiting friends and children.
William Lee Ballard was one of a kind. He was ineffable, insightful, daring (at times audacious), fiercely individualist, an unpretentious rebel and, most of all, quietly modest in his enormous generosity.
In the wake of his colorful life, he leaves his brother, John Ballard, of Sarasota Florida, and his four adoring children: Madeleine Ballard, of Tiburon, CA, with her husband, Jim Chapman; Elizabeth Slagle, of Sarasota, FL, with her husband, Larry and sons, Dylan and William; Nicholas Ballard, of San Rafael, CA with his wife, Laura and son, Eldon; and Claire Fields, of Sarasota, Fl., with her husband, Jonathan and their sons, Maximilian and Connor.
Those wishing to honor him can make donations in his memory to Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida, 2055 Wood St., Sarasota, 34237 and/or the ACLU. (Greenwich Time - March 4, 2007)
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