Longtime Bay City residents give back to community

The year was 1948. A gallon of gas cost 16 cents, Harry Truman was president and “It’s Magic” by Doris Day was a top hit. 

It was also the year Bernard “Barney” Ballor and Geraldine “Gerry” Majeske got married. The high school sweethearts met as upperclassmen at Bay City Central High School. 

“I met Gerry in English class,” Barney said. “One day I was passing around my notebook to guys in the class and she added her phone number and address, so I asked her out. She was a very smart student.”

For their first date, they rode in Barney’s ’34 Ford to Pontiac to watch a high school football game. 

“It took three dollars in gas to get us there and back,” said Barney.

And as the saying goes, that was it. The Ballors were married on October 9, 1948 and they enjoyed 61 years of matrimony before Gerry passed away in 2009. 

“We had a wonderful, wonderful marriage,” Barney said. “She was an incredible mother.” 

For many years, the Ballors enjoyed listening to Delta College Public Radio and supporting its many programs. Barney recently decided to take their support to the next level by making a generous donation to establish a scholarship for Delta College students. 

For years to come, the Barney and Gerry Ballor Scholarship Endowment will assist students in the nursing, engineering and skilled trade disciplines. 

Smart work

For the better part of his career, Barney worked in the skilled trades. Gerry joined the workforce after their children, Karen and Doug, were grown. She worked as a secretary for Bay City in the zoning and planning department for many years.

Barney said he worked hard during his career, but more importantly, he worked smart. 

He learned new skills on his own, like woodworking and masonry and lent those skills to his community. He even built a boat that his family enjoyed for many years at the family cottage near Secord Dam in Gladwin.

“I tried not to let things hold me back,” he said, adding that his mindset came from learning how to fix things at the farm he grew up on. 

Barney worked for General Motors, Brown Hoist Cranes in Bay City and retired from Saginaw Steering Gear as a senior plant engineer. Throughout this career, he supervised students from Delta while they completed their co-ops. 

“Bar none, the best students came from Delta,” he said. 

Interested in creating an endowment or supporting scholarships at Delta College? Contact Sheryl Kiscadden at 989-686-9627  or  sherylkiscadden@delta.edu.