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Ballard -- Douglas W. Ballard, born Oct 4, 1922, a well-known Southwestern watercolorist and Veteran of four decades of nuclear weapons engineering, died suddenly August 29, 2001. He is survived by his wife, Pat; daughter, Judge Karen Ballard Molzen of Las Cruces; three grandchildren, Jessica Molzen of Albuquerque and Justin and Kristin Ballard; and daughter-in-law, Susan Ballard, all of Longmont CO. He was preceded in death by his son, Steven Ballard. Other survivors are his brothers, W.J. Ballard, Jr., and his wife, Bebe of Selma AL and Richard Ballard of Livermore CA and nephews Perry Ballard, Kelly and Kevin White. A resident of Albuquerque since 1949, Doug was born in Selma, Alabama. While attending engineering school at Auburn University, his ROTC unit was called into combat engineering service in March 1943 where he was selected for specialized training at City College of NY and then assigned in 1944 to the US Army Special Engineering Detachment for the Manhattan A-Bomb Project at Oak Ridge where he served as a process engineer at the Y-12 Plant where he met his future wife, Patsye Bailey. Transferred in 1945 to the Special Engineering Detachment Unit at Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, he served as a supervisor of plutonium metallurgy. Doug and Pat were married following his discharge from the service in 1946. They established residence at Los Alamos to work until 1948. He obtained BS and MS degrees in Mechanical Engineering at UNM. From 1950 until his retirement in 1983, he worked in a variety of engineering and supervisory assignments at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque. Doug served on national and international committees and as National President of the American Society for Nondestructive Testing. He was also a Past-President of the Sandia Lab Federal Credit Union and was active for many years in Sombra Del Monte Christian Church and the Rotary Club of Albuquerque. Doug started painting late in his life and developed a strong following as a Southwestern Watercolorist whose work is widely held in private and corporate collections. With fellow artist and wife of 56 years, Doug and Pat shared their love of people, art and life together. Cremation has taken place and a Memorial Service is planned for Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. at Sombra del Monte Christian Church, 2528 Utah NE. Immediately following the service the family will receive friends at the family home. Should friends desire, a contribution may be made to the charity of your choice or to the Albuquerque Rotary Club Foundation, PO Box 3807, 87190 for the Children's Fantasy Garden. He loved that place. Strong-Thorne Mortuary 1100 Coal Ave. SE is in charge of his arrangements.
        Published on: Fri August 31, 2001