Description
Book SynopsisHow did an Ivy League-educated lawyer and his wife from a prominent newspaper family end up in a small Colorado town as publishers of a newspaper that quickly gained national attention? Arthur and Morley Ballantine impacted not only their adopted home, but also the state and the nation.
Trade ReviewThe saga of a family and the small-town newspaper the Ballantines have loved and stewarded for three generations. A fascinating account of a world that is rapidly disappearing, and a great argument for saving it.
-- Alex S. Jones, Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times reporter, biographer of Bingham and Ochs/Sulzberger newspaper families and himself from a four-generation small-town newspaper family
Filled with amusing anecdotes and revealing stories, John Peel’s book The Ballantines: Building Community Issue by Issue traces family history across generations for a well-written account of a family dedicated to a free press and grassroots community building. Rarely do business and family histories have this deep level of insight and cultural context. The Ballantines understand the struggle to maintain local, independent journalism in a digital age. Peel tells their story with masterful research, enlightening, incisive interviews and editorial excerpts. This book is a family history but also a business history of one of America’s great media-owning families still committed to rigorous, award-winning journalism.
-- Andrew Gulliford, Professor of History, Fort Lewis College, Durango
The Ballantines: Building Community Issue by Issue shines a bright light on the larger-than-life families whose love of the West and newspapers created the fiercely independent Durango Herald. The book is a love letter to the transformational influence of good journalism on a small town.
-- Lynne Perri, Journalist in Residence, American University School of Communication
John Peel takes the reader on a behind-the-scenes look at the life and family of Arthur and Morley Ballantine whose reach and influence was national in scope as they set about creating a legacy of award-winning small-town newspapering through honest, compassionate, hard-hitting journalism that continues to this day. Their lasting impact on the Durango, Colo., region through the news and editorial columns of The Durango Herald is matched by their committed involvement in all things Durango and their charitable giving back. Morley Ballantine’s words spoken in 1992 ring very true today: “For democracy to function successfully, its citizens need to have information about the wide variety of topics important to their government. They need complete information and they need accurate information. It’s a newspaper’s responsibility to provide this information.”
John Peel has done a delightful job of capturing the Ballantine story.
-- Gary M. Hook, Director (retired), USA Today, former board member Ballantine Communications Inc.
John Peel’s book is a revealing story – and a very readable one – about one of Durango’s first families. Durango has always had its movers and shakers, from the 19th century founders who ensured their city would be dominant in Southwest Colorado, to those who picked up the torch in the 20th century to maintain and grow that status. The list of people and families who worked to make Durango a special place is long, but few on that list had a loftier vision for or exerted more power and influence in making Durango a progressive city than the Ballantines. Their presence in Durango marks nearly half the city’s history. To a great extent, their history is our history.
-- Robert McDaniel, founding Director, Animas Museum
Table of ContentsPreface
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Family Tree
PART I: BEFORE DURANGO
Arthur
Morley
Church and Faith
A New Beginning
PART II: GO WEST
Settling In
The Paper Flourishes
A Distinct Style
New Name, New Location
Connections
Lending Support
The Ballantine Way
Family and Friends
Life at Home
Salons
Growing Up a Ballantine
Travel
A College Degree
A Well-Lived Life
PART III: ON HER OWN
The Shock
Carrying On
A New Partnership
Minding the Family Business
Advocating for Women
Promoting Education
Organizations
What’s Good for the Town
Honored and Esteemed
Morley’s Travels
Importance of Family
Indomitable to the End
Enduring Influence
PART IV: CONTINUING THE LEGACY
Richard Gale Ballantine
The Newspaper
An Ever-Changing Business
A Different Style
A Brand New Day
Digital Challenge
Rich Past, Hopeful Future
Notes
References
Index
About the Author
