Posted by XXXXXX on May 2, 2008:

Russell C. Ball, Jr. '48 No. 16694 15 May 1926 - 18 Apr 1993 Died in Paoli, PA Interred in West Laurel Hill Cemetery, Bala Cynwyd, PA Russell Conwell Ball, Jr., was born in the Overbrook section of Philadelphia, the only child to Ethel and Russell Ball, Sr. Russ attended Haverford Preparatory School, and graduated cum laude. He was feature editor of the school paper that won national honors and business manager of the yearbook. He served on a committee that raised over a half million dollars to buy War Bonds - an amazing feat for high school kids! Undefeated in 18 matches over three years in squash, he was the starting center on the school football team that lost only one game. He also ran on the one-mile relay team that won the Philadelphia Inquirer Cup at the prestigious Penn Relays. His career at USMA began with a very difficult Plebe year. Classmate Bill Byers recalls, "I remember Russ as a very quiet and private person who would rather read a good book than go to a hop, a movie, or any other frivolous thing. Russ was a kind, gentle, and considerate person, whom I thought was unappreciated by upperclassmen and officers, especially during the first two years." Sid Berry, another classmate and lifelong friend, added, "Some upperclassmen seemed convinced that Russ didn't belong there, and were determined to drive him to resign. Surviving Plebe year's trials consumed most of Russ's time and energy - his academics suffered, but the squash court afforded Russ a saving outlet - a place in which to excel." While his skills on the squash court may have helped him to survive, it was really Russ' strength of character that carried him forward. He grew stronger and tougher, and his grades started to improve. Russ was never bitter about his plebe experience and remained loyal to his classmates and the Corps all his life. He served as president of the West Point Society of Philadelphia and, as classmate Joe Bratton said, "never lost touch with his friends and classmates. He kept these ties active until his death." Upon graduation, Russ served in the Air Force, at Bergstrom AFB, TX. But his service career lasted less than two years. He resigned in 1949 to assist his ailing father in managing Philadelphia Gear, the family-owned business. Many years later, Russ referred to his military service as, "those early, happy years spent in Texas." For the next 44 years, Russ devoted his life to his company. As Tom Kling '62 put it, "Russ took a small gear company and built it into a mighty conglomerate." He purchased an instrument company, started a company to produce agitators, bought a cordage manufacturer, formed a marketing company to sell hardware products to consumers, and acquired an insurance company. Then he brought all these entities together under a holding company, American Manufacturing Corporation, a conglomerate - more than 50 times the size of the company he inherited from his father. Through prudent management, Russ was able to pass his life's achievement on to his two sons, Russ and Andy. In the 1988 40-Year Book, Russ said, "My military career was brief and undistinguished." But Russ served his country well as the leader of a company that supplied this country with some of the most sophisticated military hardware produced anywhere in the world - huge, highly accurate gears that drive radio telescopes and track satellites in deep space, giant propulsion units for Navy ships, ultra-quiet gears for Navy submarines, teststands for military aircraft, fire control radar guidance systems, and more. In his last public speech delivered at the centennial celebration of Philadelphia Gear in 1992, Russ said, "We have done things here that could not have been done anywhere else in the world. It is important that this work was done in America." In 1988 Russ said, "I cannot adequately express my indebtedness to West Point for all that it has given me. It is a debt that cannot be repaid." But he did try to repay the debt. He was generous to USMA with his time and money, and placed many graduates in key positions in his companies. He also made two other generous gifts - the cannon that guard USMA and the squash courts. As part of the nation's 200th birthday celebration in 1976, he replaced the 12 artillery pieces that guarded the high bluffs along the Hudson River since the Revolutionary War. Using drawings from the West Point Museum, his craftsmen shaped the wooden patterns, cast the barrels, then machined and polished them to a gleaming finish. Russ made many other contributions to USMA that, in accordance with his wishes, remain anonymous. Classmate Bob Marshall wrote, "The enormous contributions he made to USMA were accomplished unobtrusively, and without fanfare. USMA has been substantially enriched by Russ Ball." However, there is another gift that is widely known. Russ contributed the funds for the restoration of the 12 Army Squash Courts, and the construction of a new exhibition court, and is remembered on a plaque at the court entrance that reads, "Due to the generosity of Russell C. Ball, USMA Class of '48, the renovated Army Squash Courts were dedicated on 2 March 1979." Russ' final years were not easy. His health was failing due to an asthmatic condition that restricted his breathing, sapped his strength, and kept him up many nights. Yet, even with this debilitating illness, he put tremendous energy into the raising of his two sons and kept driving to sustain the business he built. Son Russ graduated from Harvard and son Andy from Villanova. He retained his optimistic outlook writing in the 40-Year Book, "I still enjoy fishing - hold the world's record for tarpon at 172 pounds, honestly. It's been a good life (after a rigorous Plebe year). My best to all my classmates." Russ was enriched by his USMA experience, maturing into a strong and honorable person. He lived the USMA motto with "Duty" to his family, his company, and his employees. His life was a display of "Honor;" and he served his "Country" well with the excellent products that his companies produced for the defense of our nation. Jim Devine, Philadelphia Gear retiree, Sidney Berry, and other members of the Class of '48

admin