When Nancy Carlson documented the life Ed F. Ball, she got toknow Virginia Ball, his wife, so well that Virginia Ball invitedthe documentary crew to her summer house at Leelanau, Mich.
"Without exception, we were all moved by their graciousness andmodesty," Carlson, telecommunications department chairwoman, said."They seemed surprised we were interested in doing a documentary onthem."
Three years ago, Carlson chronicled the life of the couple;Monday, she mourned the death of the woman who donated millions toBall State, the woman who helped create a new institution at theuniversity and the woman who invited Carlson to her home.
"Virginia and Ed came up with ideas and told them to people whocould do it," Carlson said. "They wouldn't take credit for it. Theywere very modest that way."
Virginia Ball died Monday morning in Miami Baptist Hospital inMiami, Fla. She was taken there after she suffered a stroke Sundaywhile vacationing in the Cayman Islands.
Funeral services will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday at FirstPresbyterian Church in Muncie.
John Fisher, Virginia Ball's brother-in-law, said she was ingood health until her stroke and had traveled to New Mexico andthen to a wedding in Mexico before going to the Cayman Islands.
In her life, Virginia Ball -- the widow of Ed F. Ball, the CEOof Ball Corporation, and daughter-in-law of Edmund B. Ball, one ofthe main financial supporters of the university in its infancy --donated $2 million to help create the Virginia B. Ball Center forCreative Inquiry, where students can focus on one topic for asemester.
"I think what I found most remarkable about her was hercommitment to the arts, music and higher education," Tony Edmonds,professor of history and Virginia Ball Center fellow, said.
Edmonds said Virginia Ball continued to attend community,cultural and university events, and she remained involved withstudents.
Barry Umansky, the Ball Endowed Chair Professor, said VirginiaBall always "exuded" a high energy and sharp wit.
"She certainly didn't act her age," Umansky said. "She never letgo of her sense of adventure."
To fulfill that sense, Virginia Ball got her pilot's license andtook safaris. She flew with her husband to all 50 states andAustralia, according to "Ed Ball's Century," the documentaryCarlson helped create.
"She was a woman who accomplished so many things in her life anddid it with such grace," Beverley Pitts, provost and vice presidentfor Academic Affairs, said. "She was a personal friend and rolemodel for me, so I will miss her tremendously," Pitts said.
One of Virginia Ball's last acts was to sponsor the sculpture"Catalyst," which will be placed in front of the Minnetrista Centerin June 2004.
"It's funny, because the whole meaning of 'catalyst' issomething that causes an action and yet is not directly a part ofthe action," Carlson said. "Virginia and Ed were both likethat."
With Virginia Ball's death, Fisher and his wife, a Balldaughter, are the last of that generation with direct ties to theBall name.
"It's the passing of an era because she is one of the last tiesto the original family," Dom Caristi, professor oftelecommunications, said. "It's sad; it's a loss of that directconnection between Ball State and the Ball family."
But Virginia Ball's legacy does not end with her family,according to Joe Trimmer, director of the Virginia Ball Center forCreative Inquiry.
"She had a very strong interest in undergraduate students,"Trimmer said. "She seemed to feel as if her whole life and legacywas being extended through the students."
She also remained interested in the Muncie community.
State Representative Tiny Adams met Virginia Ball throughchildren activities, including Toys for Tots.
"She actually wanted to meet with me and see how our programworked, and it impressed me so much to see how caring she was aboutthe children," Adams said. "She could have sat back and enjoyed hermoney, but she didn't."
Virginia Ball was also involved in other boards, including theGovernor's Youth Council, WBST Radio, Indiana Committee for theHumanities and the National Wildlife Federation.
"She was an extremely bright and invigorating force innon-profit organizations," Trimmer said. "We're trying to figureout who's going to pick up the baton to spread new seeds."
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