Ballard graduated from Tempe Union High School in 1959. While in school, she was on the yearbook staff and worked in the administrative office in a work-study program. After graduating, she studied fine arts at Arizona State University.
“I just wanted to be an artist because it came naturally to me,” said Ballard, whose father was an artist.
Ballard graduated from ASU in 1962, and accepted a position as a lab assistant at a Motorola Transformer Plant.
She married and had two children, Catherine Goodman, who lives in Tucson, and Ray Beecher, who lives in Denver.
When her marriage ended, Ballard moved to Bakersfield but later returned to the Phoenix area and lived in Fountain Hills. After marrying John Ballard, an aerospace engineer, she became a stay-at-home mother.
“I did floral paintings and landscapes,” said Ballard, who also became president of the Scottsdale Artist League. “I attended the Scottsdale Artist’s School, and I exhibited my artwork in Scottsdale.”
In 2004, Ballard moved to Manassas, Va., with her husband, who works as a proposal manager for CACI. A subsequent move brought the couple to Bellbrook in 2006.
“I love it here,” said Ballard, who bought a new house and had to contend with landscaping and the clay soil prevalent in this area. But she was thrilled to finally be able to plant a garden. “I amended the soil with a lot of compost and manure, and I got help from a nursery.”
Ballard prefers perennials and also enjoys placing art in the garden. A unique piece of art is the rounded mirror she attached to a side fence that allows viewers on her patio to see the reflection of the turtlehead shrubs she has growing in a wet-prone part of the yard.
After moving to Bellbrook, Ballard joined the Bellbrook Garden Club to fully indulge her passion for gardening. She was able to learn about gardening in the area by attending the monthly educational programs offered by the club.
“I’m a past vice president,” said Ballard, who participates in the Bellbrook Garden Club Plant Sale, which is being held 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, May 21, at the former Sugarcreek Elementary School, 51 S. East St. in Bellbrook.
“The money we earn at the plant sale is used for scholarships, to buy trees for the parks and community schools and to buy plants and supplies for us to use when we plant the gardens behind the Historical Society, and at the Winter’s Library, which is named after Jonathan Winter’s grandfather.”
Contact this columnist at (937) 432-9054 or jjbaer@aol.com.
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