GRAVETTE - Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Jack Stokes Ballard, who authored a biography of Air Ace Capt. Field E. Kindley, has presented copies of three new books he has authored to the Gravette Public Library.
Ballard, a native of Gravette who graduated from Gravette High School, was in town during the Gravette Day celebration to visit friends. He grew up in Gravette, the son of the late Stokes and Chloe Ballard, prominent local residents.
Ballard’s biography of Kindley, “War Bird Ace: The Great Exploits of Capt. Field E. Kindley,” told of the man who also spent much of his childhood in Gravette and became a leading air ace during World War I. The book received critical acclaim and was nominated book of the year for the Air Force Historical Foundation. Kindley Memorial Park in Gravette is named in honor of the air ace.
After Ballard graduated from GHS, he entered military service and served in the U.S. Air Force, where he taught military history until his retirement as a Lt. Col. in 1980; hence his great interest in the subject. He presently lives in Centennial, Colo.
The three books presented to the library include “Commander and Builder of Western Forts: The Life and Times of Major General Henry C. Merriam, 1862-1901.” As the title suggests, thegeneral served 38 years, and his honors included receiving the Medal of Honor for service in the Civil War. Later he played a significant role in establishing military outposts throughout the West which had great impact on the western expansion of the United States. The hardback book was published in 2012 by Texas A&M University Press.
The other books, “Images of America: Fort Logan,” published in 2011, and “Images of America: Lowery Air Force Base,” issued in 2012, are pictorial histories of those two military installations. All of Ballard’s books are available at Barnes & Noble and on Amazon, as is “War Bird Ace.”
Ballard authored two earlier books. “Shock of Peace: Military and Economic Demobilization After World War II” was issued in 1983. Another book, “Development and Employment of Fixed-Wing Gunships,” dealt with progressive improvement to fi xed-wing airships.
Another historical hardback book by Ballard, “Flying With WWI 147th Aero Squadron: A History of Training and Combat,” will be released within the next few months.
Because of his military stature, Ballard has had access to military archives, and all of his works are thoroughly documented and illustrated profusely with official photos, some of which may have never been published. The Image of America volumes are basically photographic historical publications.
Lt. Col Ballard has a particular interest in the Gravette Historical Museum and has produced and provided the extensive graphic displays which visitors to the museum enjoy.
He is pictured in front of one segment of the Kindley museum display and holds copies of the three books which are now in the Gravette library, as is the “War Bird Ace” biography.
Copies of the Kindley biography are available at the museum, which is open each Tuesday and Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. and on Thursdays from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., or at other times by appointment. Admission is free to the historical Kindley home and the exhibit hall annex which contains memorabilia of other local and area history.
Community News, Pages 6 on 09/04/2013