Morley Cowles Ballantine

Article Last Updated; Wednesday, October 14, 2009 11:58AM

Ballantine

Morley Cowles Ballantine, the longtime chairman and editor of The Durango Herald, died of respiratory failure at her Durango home on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009. She was 84.

Mrs. Ballantine was born to Elizabeth Morley (Bates) and John Cowles Sr. in Des Moines, Iowa, on May 21, 1925.

On July 26, 1947, she married Arthur A. Ballantine in Minneapolis. In 1952, the couple bought the Durango News and the Durango Herald-Democrat, merging them into the Durango Herald-News. In 1960, they shortened the name to The Durango Herald.

Mrs. Ballantine wrote thousands of editorials and columns and won numerous awards for her writing,
During her life, she was active in politics, women’s issues, higher education, the arts and philanthropy. She was named the Durango Citizen of the Year in 1990, Colorado Philanthropist of the Year in 2000 and received the Margaret Sanger Award from Planned Parenthood in 2004.

Mrs. Ballantine was preceded in death by her husband, Richard Gale Jr., in 1946; and husband of 27 years, Arthur A. Ballantine, in 1975.

She is survived by her sons Herald publisher Richard Gale Ballantine of Durango and William Gay Ballantine of Kirkland, Wash.; daughters Elizabeth Ballantine of McLean, Va., and Helen Ballantine Healy of Wichita, Kan.; brothers John Cowles Jr. and Russell Cowles, both of Minneapolis; sister, Sarah “Sally” Cowles Doering, of Northampton, Mass.; and nine grandchildren.

A celebration of life will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, 2009, at the Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College
Memorial contributions may be sent to Center of Southwest Studies. c/o Fort Lewis College Foundation, 1000 Rim Drive, Durango, CO 81301; St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 910 East Third Ave., Durango, CO 81301; or Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, 7155 E. 38th St., Denver, CO 80207.