• Born 1928 Salt Lake City, Utah
• Baptized as a child; Aaronic Priesthood as a youth; Melchizedek Priesthood as a young man
• Mission to England 1948
• Married to Barbara Bowen 1951; seven children
• First Quorum of Seventy 1976-1980
• Presidency of the Seventy 1980-1985
• Sustained to Twelve and ordained an Apostle 1985

    When Russell Ballard was in college, his fraternity brothers called him “the bishop.” They knew that whatever the situation, he would be true to his faith, an example of the gospel in action.

    Elder M. Russell Ballard, of the Quorum of the Twelve was just that. He is a man who has dedicated his life to serving the Lord. And he accepted the call to be a special witness of the Lord Jesus Christ.

    He was called to be an Apostle Sunday morning, 6 October 1985, just before the morning session of general conference. He was sustained by the Church membership that afternoon in the closing session of conference.

    “It was an overwhelming call,” said Elder Ballard. “Some of my associates in the Quorum of the Twelve tell me there is an ongoing feeling of humility and wonderment at the call.”

    His wife, Barbara, recalls how totally unexpected it was. “It came as such a surprise. We were just ready to leave the house to go to conference. The phone rang, and it was President [Gordon B.] Hinckley, who asked my husband to come to the office. He thought he would perhaps be called on to speak in conference, since one of the speakers was ill.

    “We were relaxed on the way to President Hinckley’s office and discussed what Russell might talk about if called to speak. When we got to the office, President Hinckley called my husband to be an Apostle. I almost thought, please say that again. I don’t know if I heard correctly. Russell looked at me with tears in his eyes. It was a sobering experience,” she said.

    Though Russell Ballard made Church service a part of his life from his early years, he could not have guessed where that service would finally lead. He was born in Salt Lake City on 8 October 1928 to Melvin R. and Geraldine Smith Ballard, the only boy in a family of four children. He lived in the same home on Butler Avenue from the time of his birth to the time of his marriage.

    His father was the owner of Ballard Motor Company. “He had a profound impact on my life,” Elder Ballard said. “He instilled in me the desire to work hard.”

    That devotion to hard work showed up early in Russell Ballard’s life, recalled his sister, Ann Keddington. “He always had a job, even when he was little.” It started with cutting lawns, she sayid, and he took on more and more in the line of yard care until he got into something else.

    Younger than her brother by five years, she remembered him much better as a teenager. He was a “smiling, slender, wiry young man with a fun sense of humor,” she said. He was also a leader.

    Elder Ballard served a mission to England in 1948, where he was a counselor in the mission presidency. Upon returning home in 1950, he met Barbara Bowen, who would become his wife.

    “I met her at the University of Utah ‘Hello Day Dance.’ A friend of mine thought I ought to meet her, so he tagged in to dance with her, danced over to where I was, introduced me, and I danced with her thirty seconds before I was tagged out. That was the beginning of a courtship of eleven months.

    “She was not only beautiful, but had a sparkling personality. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to marry her, but she didn’t share the same feelings. It was a little hard convincing her. I kid her now that getting her to agree to marry me was the greatest sales job I ever did,” said Elder Ballard.

    Shortly after the Ballards’ marriage he was called into a bishopric and has served in Church leadership positions ever since. In 1974, he was called to preside over the Canada Toronto Mission. He was still serving in that capacity when, in 1976, he was called to the First Quorum of the Seventy. He has had a variety of administrative assignments, including Executive Director of the Curriculum Department and, at the same time, Executive Director of the Correlation Department. He has also served as Executive Director of the Missionary Department and as President of the International Mission. In February of 1980, he was called to the Presidency of the First Quorum of the Seventy.

    What kind of a person is Elder Ballard? A man of great abilities, yet teachable, said Elder Boyd K. Packer of the Council of the Twelve.

    “It is not unusual to find those who have very brilliant minds to at once lack humility and meekness,” said Elder Packer. “Not so with M. Russell Ballard. If I should choose a word to describe him, it would be teachable. That is a synonym for meekness. Meekness and weakness are not synonyms.

    “When he was presiding over the mission in Toronto, I toured the mission. When I returned home, my wife was concerned because I was so tired. ‘Did you have a mission president that wouldn’t listen to your instruction?’ she asked.

    “I replied, ‘No, just the opposite. I found a mission president who was so eager to learn and so desirous of obtaining instruction that I was drawn beyond what we ordinarily are able to do.’ ”

    Elder Ballard’s son Clark saw that “teachable” quality in his father, too. “I recently went to a stake conference with my dad. After the conference, we met with the missionaries. Dad wanted to see how the improved discussions are working.

    “He brought in the office staff, and they told him how things were going,” said Clark. “What impressed me was that the missionaries were teaching my father. He was willing to listen to them. He told them, ‘You’re the guys out on the front lines who know how this is working.’ ”

    Perhaps one reason people are surprised that Elder Ballard is so teachable is because he’s such a capable teacher and leader himself. His skills in managing projects and putting ideas into action are well-known among those with whom he has worked.

    “He has explicit faith in the fact that things can be done,” said Ron Knighton, a former director under Elder Ballard in curriculum planning and development and publication coordination. “He’s not one who looks for reasons things can’t be done. He’s a man who believes in keeping good people around him and demonstrating faith in his staff by giving them the authority to take action on issues. And he’s a man of real courage, who’s not afraid to take on an issue that others may choose to avoid, if he feels strongly that it would make a difference in the progress of the Lord’s work,” added Brother Knighton.

    Business associate Nate Wade worked with Elder Ballard for thirty years on various projects and saw that same straight-thinking. “He has goals and objectives, targets to shoot for, so he knows where he’s going,” said Brother Wade. “He’s conducted his church, business, and family affairs that way.”

    Professionally, Elder Ballard became involved in several enterprises, including automotive, real estate, and investment businesses. He was the top-selling salesman for his father’s Nash car dealership when he left it in the early 1950s to pursue other business interests. In 1956 he returned and took over the Ballard Motor Company from his father. During this period he also served in the United States Army Reserve. When he left in 1957, he held the rank of first lieutenant.

    In the late 1950s, he came home from one business trip and told his wife he’d won the right to be the Edsel car dealer for Salt Lake City. His dealership became the most successful in the country, and Ford Motor Company invited him and his associates to Detroit to tell other dealers how they did it. But in the end the Edsel was a failure. The motor company, and dealers around the country, lost hundreds of millions of dollars.

    “It was a devastating experience,” he recalls. Associates say his reputation for hard work and integrity allowed him to keep the confidence of financial institutions and recover from the losses, but full recovery took years. He dealt with people as honestly and fairly as he could. He also learned to have compassion for those having great difficulties.

    “The first part of my business career it seemed like everything worked. I was a little intolerant, I think, of those who were having trouble in business. But then I had trouble, and that helped me gain an empathy and understanding for people who struggle similarly.

    “To me, failure is only when you quit trying,” he said. “If you keep working at a task and try to do what’s right and honest, ultimately it works out.”

    One of the highlights of his business career, said Elder Ballard, was his responsibility as president of the Valley Music Hall in Bountiful, Utah. The theater offered high-quality family entertainment, and he worked in association with Art Linkletter, Danny Thomas, Bob Cummings, and other Hollywood celebrities who were advisers to the enterprise. Although the music hall failed financially, he made sure that investors had opportunities to recover the money they had put into it.

    In the meantime, he and Barbara were raising a family. They eventually had seven children, two sons and five daughters: Clark, Holly, Meleea, Tamara, Stacey, Brynn, and Craig. With his responsibilities in Church and business, it would have been easy for family to be less than top priority. But that did not happen, said Sister Ballard.

    “He’s extremely devoted to his family, and they’ve always come first,” she said. “He was a bishop for many years and held lots of Church jobs, but those responsibilities have never been to the detriment of his family. When he was home, he made the time count.

    “There were times when we went places without him because of his commitments. When he did have to miss something, he sat down and made sure everybody knew the nature of what he had to do, so there was never bitterness. He has always felt the real importance of being a father and knowing that his judgment was needed. He’s a very strong person emotionally and spiritually. The family leans on that a great deal.”

    Elder Ballard said he could not have fulfilled his family responsibilities without the help of his wife. “I married the right woman,” he said. “Without the help and direction of Barbara, our family relationships would not have happened as well as they did. It was hard to be the bishop, the owner of my own business, and at the same time father of these children that came along, but somehow it worked out. I give credit to Barbara and her good judgment.”

    Their son Clark spoke of happy memories of time spent with his father, despite the demands on his dad’s time. “Dad would take me to Ely, Nevada, with him when I was young, to a mine he had an interest in. It was exciting for me as a young boy. I’d put on the helmet with a light on the front of it, and we’d go down the mine shaft. The only reason he took me was so we could be together.”

    Daughter Stacey also told of happy memories. “The first thing I think of about Dad is the way he’ll do anything for us kids, regardless of how dumb it might seem. When we were in Laguna Beach, California, this summer, I had a craving for chocolate chip cookies. He drove all around Laguna trying to find me one.”

    “He has always been understanding,” said his daughter Holly. “The day I got my driver’s license, he let me borrow his beautiful Buick Electra. I was returning a sweater to the store for him. When I parked the car, I scraped its side.

    “I was shaking when I called my dad, afraid that he’d be upset. He just laughed and told me it was only a car and no big deal. He was so understanding. He always seemed to know when we needed an arm around us.”

    His daughter Tammy had a similar experience. “When I was in second grade, he was always bringing home a different used car, because of the business. One Sunday he had a yellow Cadillac with a white roof, and my friends and I jumped in the car to get a ride home from dad. We started jumping around in the car and a friend kicked the gear shift into neutral. The car rolled back and hit another car. My friends fled, and I panicked.

    “I ran and told mom, and we went home. When we pulled up the garage door, the yellow Cadillac was there. My friends and I had jumped into another man’s car and wrecked it. I thought dad would be upset. But when he got home, he scooped me up in his arms and told me he was proud of me for telling the truth, then he took care of it and never mentioned it again. I really learned a lot from my father.”

    These days, though Elder Ballard is extremely busy, he’s still available for his family members, said Stacey. “He always seems to be there at the time you really need him. This last year I went through a major heartbreak, and he was there to put his arms around me and give me a father’s blessing. Those things mean a lot.”

    “He’s always given father’s blessings to our children as they’ve gone on a mission or been married or whenever there’s been a need,” Sister Ballard said. “When we were in Canada on our mission, our little boy was just starting kindergarten and didn’t know one person. He was frightened. My husband took him to the office, knelt down with him, and prayed that Heavenly Father would help him find friends. They had that prayer together several days in a row. He’s helped several of our children that way when they’ve had special needs. And he made it a habit to interview each child regularly,” said Sister Ballard.

    Once the children wee married, that fatherly concern didn't waned in the least. “He is truly the patriarch to our family,” said Clark. “Family matters are very important to him. Now that most of us have moved away from home, he feels that it’s important for us to get together and still communicate with each other. A couple of years ago he invited the married children and their spouses to stay overnight in Park City. He had a family meeting the next day where we talked about what was going on in our lives and what our goals were. And he taught us. It was a little like what he does in stake conference when he teaches the leadership of the stake. It was a lot of fun, too,” said Clark.

    Elder Ballard serves as a patriarch not only to his own family, but to his extended family as well, said his sister Ann. Since his parents’ death, he has taken the responsibility of seeing to the needs of several of his aunts and uncles. Sister Ballard’s widowed mother lives in an apartment built onto their home, at Elder Ballard’s suggestion.

    For Elder Ballard, family relationships are as much a reality on the other side of the veil as they are on this side. As he spoke to the Church membership about his feelings in accepting the call, Elder Ballard mentioned that he had often felt a great closeness to his forefathers. He is the grandson of Elder Hyrum Mack Smith, who served in the Council of the Twelve from 1901-1918, and Elder Melvin J. Ballard, who served from 1919-1939. Both of their pictures hang on his office wall. The busts of his great-great uncle the Prophet Joseph Smith, and his great-great grandfather Hyrum Smith (brother of the Prophet Joseph), and his great-grandfather President Joseph F. Smith are displayed prominently in Elder Ballard’s office.

    “The spirit of Elijah has a powerful impact in the lives of all those of Heavenly Father’s children who are willing to ponder their forefather’s lives,” said Elder Ballard. “I’ll often sit in my office wrestling with assignments I have, thinking about how to better do things, and gain a great deal of strength looking at their countenances and realizing they’re not very far away.”

    Elder Ballard never knew his grandfather Smith, who passed away in 1918. “But even though I’ve never met him, I feel very close to him. Through my mother and my aunts and uncles, I’ve become acquainted with Grandfather Smith. I’ve researched and gathered all of his writings and sermons to try to gain a greater insight into him. He was a great orator, one who could teach the gospel with power, yet at the same time with clarity,” he said.

    “I knew my Grandfather Ballard as a grandfather. I was smart enough at age ten to realize that he was one of the great teachers of this dispensation. I knew him as one who loved me enough to take me to a movie on my eighth birthday. I remember his sleeping through the Walt Disney movie, and I couldn’t understand that. Now I understand better, because I think most General Authorities have a hard time staying awake when the lights go out, because their heavy work load exacts a lot from them.

    “He’d come up to our cabin in Lamb’s Canyon once or twice in the summer, and we’d walk off into the woods together. Those are very precious memories. I think grandfathers throughout the Church ought to remember that the memories they make with their grandchildren will live in their hearts for a long, long time.”

    One of Elder Ballard’s great gifts is not just concern for family but for the individuals with whom he comes in contact. Just as his father was known as a “people person,” so is M. Russell Ballard.

    “He’s a very thoughtful person,” said Elder J. Thomas Fyans, a member of the First Council of the Seventy. “I’ve watched him reach into the lives of people who have special challenges and give of his time and his experience in counseling them and lifting them to a higher plane. He has a sensitivity for people’s feelings.”

    Elder Dean L. Larsen of the Presidency of the First Quorum of the Seventy agreed: “One thing that has impressed me about him is that I’ve never seen him at lunch in the General Authorities’ cafeteria without some guest, and it’s usually a prospective missionary or someone who needs some encouragement.”

    Encouragement is exactly what he gave in mammoth proportions after the October 1980 general conference when he invited Church members who had an inactive or nonmember friend to make a commitment to help that person come to the light of the gospel. He told them, “I want to help you keep the commitment you’ve just made. I invite you to write to me when your time has come for some additional help. Send me the name of the person you seek to rescue, and I’ll write a letter of encouragement to him.”

    “Elder Ballard wrote more than six hundred personal letters of encouragement to people who needed help in gaining a testimony,” said Dorothy Anderson, Elder Ballard’s secretary. “The responses he received showed that many lives were touched by his concern.”

    Wrote one of the recipients of Elder Ballard’s letters, “I feel that your letter was the real beginning of this fantastic change in my life, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

    “I don’t know how he cares for so many people,” said Sister Ballard. “I wonder sometimes, when is it his turn? He has this deep reservoir of care; he just gives and gives and gives.”

    Family members remembered the time they drove to a nearby amusement park to spend the day. On the way to the park they passed an Asian family whose car had broken down on the highway. Once Elder Ballard got to the park, he dropped off his family, picked up the family with car problems, and let them take his car while theirs was being repaired. The Asian family spent part of the day at the amusement park, and after their car was repaired, they returned the Ballard family vehicle.

    “He has a great compassion for people who suffer or are unhappy,” said his wife, Barbara.

    One young man who turned to Elder Ballard for kindness was Danny, a twelve-year-old whose father had just died. After one of Elder Ballard’s stake conference addresses, Danny asked him if he would ordain him a deacon. Elder Ballard said if Danny’s bishop and stake president agreed to the arrangement, he’d be happy to do it.

    That was the start of a great friendship between Danny and Elder Ballard. Danny and his brother Pete have spent afternoons helping in the Ballard garden and feeling the influence of a friend who cares for them. When Pete wasn’t sure if he’d go on a mission, Elder Ballard encouraged him—and spoke at his missionary farewell.

    He’s also a man who lives close to the Spirit. When his son and daughter-in-law had a new baby with medical problems, Elder Ballard visited the five-month-old girl in the hospital the day before she died. He was later able to comfort his son and daughter-in-law with the knowledge that her spirit had communicated with him.

    “Dad told us that he heard her spirit talk to him and tell him not to worry, that everything would be all right, she’d be fine,” Clark said. “He knew she was going to pass away before any of the rest of us knew.”

    Elder Ballard’s unswerving devotion to the gospel, and his desire to help teach that gospel, is based on the solid rock of his testimony.

    “I would tell Church members to keep their eyes riveted on the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve and to stay close to the scriptures, reading and pondering and praying over the word of the Lord. That will give the strength that the individual member of the Church needs to live in today’s world,” said Elder Ballard.

    “I have strong convictions that those who are really anchored in their faith in the Restoration and the mission of the Prophet Joseph, and in the revelations that have come to the Church through him, which confirm and declare that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that the gospel is upon the earth, will be able to handle whatever life passes to them.”

     Life passed to Elder M. Russell Ballard his share of trials and triumphs. But he has been true to the faith, a living example of what it means to submit one’s self to the Lord’s will.

You will note that most are available only as text; some are available only in an audio (ASX or MP3) format; while still others are available in both text and audio formats.

TITLE	SOURCE	AUDIO
The Sacramental Covenant	New Era, January 1976
Learn Obedience and Service	General Conference, April 1976
The Making of a Missionary	General Conference, October 1976
Friend to Friend	Friend, August 1977
“Behold, He That Hath Eternal Life Is Rich”	New Era, December 1977
You--The Leaders in 1988	BYU Devotional, 16 May 1978	MP3
Spiritual Development	General Conference, October 1978
"Is It Worth It?"	BYU Fireside, 2 September 1979	MP3
You Can Be the Voice	General Conference, April 1980
The Savior’s Touch	General Conference, October 1980
Abide in the Light of the Gospel	BYU Devotional, 21 October 1980	MP3
Providing for Our Needs	General Conference, April 1981
Resources for Teaching Our Families	Ensign, February 1983
Teaching—No Greater Call	General Conference, April 1983
Do Things That Make a Difference	Ensign, June 1983
Let Us Think Straight	BYU Devotional, 29 November 1983	MP3
Struggle for the Soul	New Era, March 1984
Is It Worth It?	New Era, June 1984
Write Down a Date	General Conference, October 1984
Future Challenges for an International Church	BYU Devotional, 7 November 1984	MP3
Thinking Straight	New Era, March 1985
Prepare to Serve	General Conference, April 1985
In Response to the Call	General Conference, October 1985
Choose to Serve	BYU Fireside, 5 January 1986	MP3
The Kingdom Rolls Forth in South America	General Conference, April 1986
Taking Time to Care	New Era, October 1986
We Proclaim the Gospel	General Conference, October 1986
Keeping Life’s Demands in Balance	General Conference, April 1987
Keep the Commandments-- Beginning Right Now!	BYU Fireside, 6 September 1987	MP3
Suicide: Some Things We Know, and Some We Do Not	Ensign, October 1987
Sacrifice and Self-Sufficiency	General Conference, October 1987
God’s Love for His Children	General Conference, April 1988
Missionary Couples—Trading Something Good for Something Better	Ensign, June 1988
The Hand of Fellowship	General Conference, October 1988
God’s Love for His Children	Friend, April 1989
The Effects of Television	General Conference, April 1989
Margaret McNeil Ballard’s Legacy of Faith	Ensign, July 1989
Duties, Rewards, and Risks	General Conference, October 1989
The Power of Commitment	New Era, November 1989
Unlocking the Doors	BYU Devotional, 14 November 1989	MP3
Focus on Excellence	BYU Communications Symposium, 5 December 1989	MP3
Small and Simple Things	General Conference, April 1990
The Hand of Fellowship	Friend, September 1990
A Chance to Start Over: Church Disciplinary Councils and the Restoration of Blessings	Ensign, September 1990
Purity Precedes Power	General Conference, October 1990
Away from the Blinding Dust	New Era, May 1991
Teach the Children	General Conference, April 1991
Follow the Prophet	Friend, October 1991
The Family of the Prophet Joseph Smith	General Conference, October 1991
Be an Example of the Believers	General Conference, October 1991
The Blessings of Sacrifice	General Conference, April 1992
Friend to Friend	Friend, June 1992
The Greater Priesthood: Giving a Lifetime of Service in the Kingdom	Ensign, September 1992
Anchor to the Soul	BYU Fireside, 6 September 1992
Religion in a Free Society	Ensign, October 1992
Take Time	Friend, November 1992
The Joy of Hope Fulfilled	General Conference, October 1992
Anchor Your Soul	New Era, March 1993
Keeping Covenants	General Conference, April 1993
Temple Joy	Friend, June 1993
Strength in Counsel	General Conference, October 1993
Equality through Diversity	General Conference, October 1993
Steadfast in Christ	Ensign, December 1993
You Promised	New Era, February 1994
“Great Shall Be the Peace of Thy Children”	Ensign, April 1994
Counseling with Our Councils	General Conference, April 1994
President Gordon B. Hinckley: An Anchor of Faith	Ensign, September 1994
The Legacy of Hyrum	Ensign, September 1994
Brothers Bound by Love and Faith	Ensign, September 1994
Restored Truth	General Conference, October 1994
What Came from Kirtland	BYU Fireside, 6 November 1994	MP3
Joseph Smith’s First Vision	Friend, April 1995
Answers to Life’s Questions	General Conference, April 1995
Not the Voice of Man	New Era, June 1995
Anchored by Faith and Commitment	Ensign, July 1995
The Latter Days	Friend, September 1995
Hyrum Smith: “Firm As the Pillars of Heaven”	General Conference, October 1995
Of Goodly Parents	New Era, December 1995
When Shall These Things Be?	BYU Address, 12 March 1996	MP3
Feasting at the Lord’s Table	General Conference, April 1996
Filling the World with Goodness and Truth	Ensign, July 1996
In the Language of Eternity	New Era, August 1996
A Light on a Hill	BYU Annual University Conference 27 August 1996
Faith in Every Footstep	General Conference, October 1996
“When Shall These Things Be?”	Ensign, December 1996
“You Have Nothing to Fear from the Journey”	General Conference, April 1997
Faith in Every Footstep	New Era, July 1997
How to Find Safety and Peace	New Era, November 1997
Standing for Truth and Right	General Conference, October 1997
Marvelous Are the Revelations of the Lord	General Conference, April 1998
Building Bridges of Understanding	Ensign, June 1998
“You Have Nothing to Fear from the Journey”	Friend, July 1998
The Law of Sacrifice	Ensign, October 1998
Are We Keeping Pace?	General Conference, October 1998
Like a Flame Unquenchable	General Conference, April 1999
Beware of False Prophets and False Teachers	General Conference, October 1999
The Lord Has a Work for You to Do	BYU Devotional, 18 January 2000	MP3
“How Is It with Us?”	General Conference, April 2000
Members Are the Key	Ensign, September 2000
Now Is the Time	General Conference, October 2000
"Here Am I, Send Me"	BYU Devotional, 13 March 2001	MP3
“His Word Ye Shall Receive”	General Conference, April 2001
Latter-day Counsel	Ensign, July 2001
Follow the Prophet	New Era, September 2001
Doctrine of Inclusion	General Conference, October 2001
"Be Strong in the Lord, and in the Power of His Might"	CES Fireside, 3 March 2002	ASX
Women of Righteousness	Ensign, April 2002
The Peaceable Things of the Kingdom	General Conference, April 2002
Lead Them to Safety	New Era, May 2002
Special Witness: Pioneer Sacrifices	Friend, July 2002
The Greatest Generation of Missionaries	General Conference, October 2002
Commencement Address	BYU Graduation, 24 April 2003	MP3
Special Witness: Our Living Prophet	Friend, May 2003
The Essential Role of Member Missionary Work	General Conference, April 2003
Joseph’s Family	New Era, June 2003
Family Councils: A Conversation with Elder and Sister Ballard	Ensign, June 2003
The Sacred Responsibilities of Parenthood	BYU Devotional, 19 August 2003	MP3
Let Our Voices Be Heard	General Conference, October 2003	MP3
Go for It!	New Era, March 2004
The Atonement and the Value of One Soul	General Conference, April 2004
Be Strong in the Lord	Ensign, July 2004
Special Witness: Now Is the Time	Friend, November 2004
Pure Testimony	General Conference, October 2004
The Divine Touch	New Era, December 2004
One More	General Conference, April 2005
What Matters Most Is What Lasts Longest	General Conference, October 2005
The Handiwork of God	New Era, March 2006
The Sacred Responsibilities of Parenthood	Ensign, March 2006
Creating a Gospel-Sharing Home	General Conference, April 2006
O Be Wise	General Conference, October 2006
How to Prepare to Be a Good Missionary	New Era, March 2007
The Miracle of the Holy Bible	General Conference, April 2007
Special Witness	Friend, May 2007