Dr. A. LeVon Balzer, President Emeritus (1994-2004)

Dear JBU Community,

With a heavy heart, I write to inform you that JBU’s former president, Dr. A. LeVon Balzer, died last night in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Lee served as JBU president from 1994-2004. He arrived on campus after a year of turbulent presidential transition, and he brought Godly, wise, thoughtful and forward-thinking leadership to JBU. His gracious demeanor and Christ-like engagement were just what JBU needed.

JBU flourished during his decade as president, including growing from over 1,450 to over 1,900 students; receiving over $60 million in gifts in capital campaigns; constructing or renovating seven major facilities (Walker Student Center and Residence Hall, Bell Science Hall, the central power plant, Windgate Visual Arts West, Hutcheson Hall, and the Soderquist Business Center; founding and endowing two centers (Soderquist Center for Leadership and Ethics and the Center for Healthy Relationships); and initiating two adult undergraduate and six new graduate degrees.

I was deeply grateful for Lee’s unwavering support of JBU and his graciousness toward me. He was always willing to take a call or lunch to answer any question, and he never failed to encourage me and others when he was on campus. In James 3:17, we read “the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.” It is an apt description of Lee’s leadership. His commitment to Christ and Christ-centered education shaped his life and the trajectory of JBU, and we are all the beneficiaries of his good work.

Services will be held Saturday, May 31, at 2 p.m. in the Cathedral of the Ozarks. Please keep Alice and the entire Balzer family in your prayers.

Blessings,

Dr. Charles W. Pollard
President, John Brown University