In Memoriam: 1930s

Notices sorted by graduation date

Warren M. Ballard (Col ’32, Grad ’35, Law ’36 L/M) of Baltimore died July 18, 2013. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. At the University, Mr. Ballard lived on the Lawn and was a member of the Jefferson Literary and Debating Society and Theta Chi fraternity. He worked in New York City and later for the Reconstruction Finance Corp. in Washington, D.C., before joining the Temple University School of Law in 1940. Mr. Ballard taught law at Temple until 1993. In 1966, he took a sabbatical to study at the London School of Economics and continued to study and travel all over the world, most recently to Machu Picchu, throughout his life. A lover of classical music, especially Bach, and opera, Mr. Ballard subscribed to the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Baltimore Symphony. Survivors include his wife, three daughters, two stepchildren, two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

Harry F. Byrd Jr. (Col ’35 L/M) of Winchester, Va., died July 30, 2013. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. At the University, he was a member of the Fraternity of Delta Psi (St. Anthony Hall), Skull and Keys and the P.K. Society. He served in the Virginia Senate for 17 years before his appointment to the U.S. Senate in 1965, when his father, Harry Byrd Sr., resigned for health reasons. The following year, Harry F. Byrd Jr. won a special election to fill the four years remaining in the term. In 1970, Sen. Byrd broke with the Democratic party and became one of the first prominent politicians to win re-election as an independent; he continued to serve in the U.S. Senate until his retirement in 1982. As Virginia’s representative in the U.S. Senate, he supported federal fiscal restraint and anti-debt fiscal policies. Survivors include three children, among them a son, Harry F. Byrd III (Com ’65 L/M); nine grandchildren, including Julie Glass Barmak (Com ’95 L/M), Langdon B. Greenhalgh (Col ’97 L/M), Gretchen C. Byrd (Col ’99 L/M) and Blakeley T. Greenhalgh (Col ’00); and 11 great-grandchildren.

C. Homer Bast (Col ’36) of Salem, Va., died May 20, 2013. He served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and the Korean War. At the University, he was chairman of the Honor Committee and a member of Theta Delta Chi fraternity and the student Arts & Sciences Council. He was involved in organizing the first Naval Reserve unit in Roanoke in 1947 and later became its second commanding officer. Mr. Bast worked at Roanoke College for 34 years, teaching history and serving as registrar, associate dean, director of admissions, director of the evening program and director of summer school. He formed and coached the college’s track and cross-country teams that gained national attention in the 1950s; the Homer Bast 1600 Meter Run is named in his honor. He was a member of numerous clubs, organizations and societies. Mr. Bast published articles on naval and historical matters and served as one of the first professors at the University of Virginia’s Roanoke extension division. When he retired from Roanoke College in 1979, the school conferred on him an honorary doctorate of humane letters. He remained involved in the college community throughout his retirement, serving as charter initiate to the college’s Phi Beta Kappa chapter. Survivors include two sons and two grandsons.