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Passing of Former Headmaster Glenn Ballard
Hockaday mourns the loss of our sixth Headmaster, Glenn Ballard. Mr. Ballard served as Head of School from 1971–1979 and passed away peacefully on Monday, February 3 at the age of 93.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Ann Ballard. He is survived by his four children: Glenn A. Ballard Jr., Catherine “Lanie” Ballard Infante ’81, Tracey Ballard Krofcheck ’76, and Paula Ballard McKay ’78, and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A celebration of his life will be held on Tuesday, February 18 at 4:30 pm at The Kinkaid School in Houston.
Mr. Ballard was a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pittsburgh and his Master of Arts from the University of Denver. Before coming to Hockaday, Mr. Ballard served as Headmaster of the Brownell-Talbot School in Omaha, Nebraska. After leaving Hockaday in 1979, Mr. Ballard became the third Head of School at The Kinkaid School in Houston, serving in this role until 1996. He was President of The Independent Schools Association of the Southwest and the Houston Independent Schools Association. In his retirement years, he consulted with numerous schools and served as a Board member for several of the schools. He also served as Interim Head at Holland Hall School in Tulsa, Oklahoma and was a member of Hockaday’s Centennial Advisory Council.
In the 1973 edition of the “Cornerstones” yearbook, one student said, “Now concluding his second year as Headmaster, Mr. Glenn Ballard has become a familiar face around campus. In addition to many new and exciting changes in the curriculum and school calendar, Mr. Ballard has brought with him to Hockaday a friendliness and open concern for each student.”
In the 1973 edition of the “Cornerstones” yearbook, one student said, “Now concluding his second year as Headmaster, Mr. Glenn Ballard has become a familiar face around campus. In addition to many new and exciting changes in the curriculum and school calendar, Mr. Ballard has brought with him to Hockaday a friendliness and open concern for each student.”
According to an article in D Magazine, when Mr. Ballard came to Hockaday, the School’s endowment was only $130,000, which was designated for faculty retirement benefits. In three years, thanks largely to the efforts of Mr. Ballard and past Chair of the Hockaday Board of Trustees, Ashley Priddy, Hockaday was able to raise $3.5 million in donations and pledges to increase Hockaday’s endowment substantially.
During his time at Hockaday, Mr. Ballard was particularly concerned with faculty excellence, continuing faculty education, and upgrading school facilities, including athletic fields, track, courts, and building a new gymnasium.
In the 1970s, along with key trustees and faculty members, Mr. Ballard worked behind the scenes to increase minority student enrollment at Hockaday. In an article in “The Hockaday School: An Anthology of Voices and Views,” he said, “The School had an obligation to the common good, to Dallas, to the country, to serve the educational needs of all children. A Hockaday education could not be complete without diversity. The question was no longer ‘if,’ but ‘how?’”
Upper School English teacher Dr. Jason Goldstein was a student at Kinkaid while Mr. Ballard served as Head of School there and fondly remembers a tradition he practiced at both Hockaday and Kinkaid. “Mr. Ballard made a sincere effort to get to know all of his students; in fact, he would greet us at the front door with a firm handshake and some personal advice or a joke,” he said.
As we celebrate Mr. Ballard’s legacy at Hockaday and his contribution to the education of countless students, please keep his family in your thoughts. His impact on both Hockaday and the larger independent school community was immeasurable, and we are grateful for his many contributions to our beloved School.
The Hockaday School
Within the private school community, The Hockaday School is an independent college-preparatory day school for girls from grades PK–12 located in Dallas, Texas. Students realize their limitless potential through challenging academic curricula, arts, athletics, and extracurricular programs so that they are inspired to lead lives of purpose and impact.
The Hockaday School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, creed, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law in the administration of its educational, admissions, financial aid, athletic, and other policies and programs.
The Hockaday School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ethnicity, creed, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law in the administration of its educational, admissions, financial aid, athletic, and other policies and programs.