NMU plants tree in honor of Dr. Bill Ball

MARQUETTE– It’s always a sad time when you lose someone that you truly care about, but one university thought of a creative way to keep their memory alive. Northern Michigan University held a tree planting ceremony on campus today in front of the Hedgcock building to remember the late Dr. Bill Ball, who passed away unexpectedly on December 6th of last year.

Along with being a veteran and winning numerous awards, Dr.Ball also marched and sat in jail with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr in 1963.

“This was a tree planting ceremony in commemoration of Dr. Bill Ball,” said Dr. Carter Wilson, Head of the Department of Political Science and Professor at Northern Michigan University. “We were very sadden by his sudden lost. So this was a tree planting ceremony to commemorate Dr. Bill Ball and the tree will be there in memory of him as long as that tree last.”

While he had tons of achievements, Dr. Ball also touched a lot of people in the community.

“Dr. Ball was very well known and very popular here on campus. He was also very popular with among our veteran students,” said Dr. Wilson. “He served in the Vietnam War and he was awarded the purple heart. So he had a very close relationship with our students who are veterans here.”

Friends, family, and students came to show their support as NMU honored a fallen veteran.