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James “Jim” Clark Ballard, a previous senior lecturer and head of the Engineering Communication Center at the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, passed away on Monday, September 29, 2025, in St. Louis after experiencing a sudden cardiac arrest. He was 79 years old.

Ballard concluded his tenure on June 1, 2024, after imparting knowledge in technical writing to thousands of engineering scholars over a span of 54 years at the university. He commenced his WashU journey in 1970 as a doctoral candidate in English in the Arts & Sciences. In 1974, he became part of the engineering school, which was in search of an individual to instruct writing. Ballard crafted a curriculum for an undergraduate course on technical writing and received a trial semester. The technical writing course, which continues to be taught today, has enabled students to think more critically and articulate their ideas more clearly.

Ballard is survived by his spouse, Linda Ballard; his son, Thomas Vance Ballard (Lindsay); grandsons Zachary and Elliot Ballard; and sister Betsy (Gary) Murray.

No services are scheduled. The family requests that, in his memory, one teach someone something new. Memorial donations are recommended to the American Civil Liberties Union, Arch City Defenders, or a charity of one’s choosing.

Read the complete obituary on the McKelvey Engineering website.

The article James Ballard, former director of Engineering Communication Center, 79 first appeared on The Source.

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