Tribute to a Beloved Oklahoma Educator and Mentor

Earlier this year and just a few months after his ALS diagnosis, Dr. Keith Ballard took some time on camera to discuss his life and legacy as an educator. Over the subsequent months, several leaders from the Tulsa community also shared how Dr. Ballard had influenced their lives and careers, and the difference he made.
 

Dr. Keith Ballard was instrumental in the creation of the education graduate program at OU-Tulsa. He served as a mentor and teacher to many of the top education administrators in Tulsa and across the country. He served as superintendent for Tulsa Public Schools during a pivotal moment in the district’s recent history and before that led Claremore and Oologah school districts.

In March he received a standing ovation in the Oklahoma Capitol where the House and Senate passed resolutions recognizing his five-decades-long career as a classroom teacher, district administrator and onetime executive director of the Oklahoma State School Boards Association.

Dr. Ballard was diagnosed with ALS late last year and succumbed to the disease in September. He was 72 years old.

Special thanks to Jeramy Pappas and Jacobi Campbell from the OU-Tulsa marketing team for putting together this amazing tribute.

Click here to watch the video tribute to an educational legend.