William and Merilyn Ballard have received Rocky Mountain College’s 2011 Philanthropist of the Year Award.
“Bill and Merilyn have been remarkable in their service to the college and their support for its students,” said RMC President Michael Mace. “They exemplify the spirit of philanthropy we admire and appreciate.”
Ballard had a profound effect on the financial stability of the institution by being part of two capital campaigns that raised $40 million for the college, Mace said.
William W. Ballard met Merilyn in Poplar in 1952. They were married the following summer.
He earned a master’s degree and a doctorat.
In 1963, Ballard and William Cronoble formed, Balcron Oil. His present company, Ballard Petroleum Holdings LLC, was created in 1992 when Ballard and Associates Inc. was formed as an entity on which to build a new company.
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The company operates in Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and Oklahoma.
Ballard joined the RMC faculty in 1966 as a part-time geology professor. In 1973, the college introduced a geology degree, and he served as chairman of the department, a position he held part time until fall 1981. He was on the RMC Board of Trustees from 1985 to 2005. He was awarded a Distinguished Service award by the RMC Alumni Association in 1997, and entered into the college’s Hall of Fame in 1999. He rejoined the board in 2010.
Ballard also serves on the Board of Montana Petroleum Association, the Wells Fargo Bank Community Board, the Rocky Mountain Technology Foundation Board and is past chairman of the Billings Clinic Board.
He also served a term on the Montana Oil and Gas Board, is a past president of the Montana Petroleum Association, and the Rocky Mountain Oil and Gas Association. He served a term on the Board of the American Petroleum Institute, and was appointed to the National Petroleum Council in 1991. He was was inducted into the Rocky Mountain Oil and Gas Hall of Fame in 2004. In 2007 he was named “Wildcatter of the Year” by the Independent Petroleum Association of the Mountain States.
Bill and Merilyn have three children — Linda, Dave and Jeff — and five grandchildren.