Do you remember the first time you met Monte Ball? I was 14 years old, moving into boarding School, when Monte introduced himself as my dorm master. Big smile, outstretched arm, firm handshake, and a warm welcome.

Who would have guessed that that meeting would be the start of a 56-year friendship? During those 56 years Monte was my teacher and dorm master, my boss at P.I.C. when I was a C.I.T. and a counselor, my colleague when I was assistant director and member of the board of directors, and finally an old friend with whom I shared some gracious living at lunches overlooking the Mekong River in Laos. If I were asked who most influenced my life, Monte, along with Jun Swan, would be at the top of the list.

We all have our Monte stories, some repeatable and some not! But the focus of Monte’s entire life was educating young people. Monte touched the lives of thousands of them, not only at Pine Island but also at the four schools where he taught. Even in his retirement in Southeast Asia Monte continued to work with young people, supporting an orphanage workshop in Laos and a culinary training academy in Thailand.

Monte was taken from us all too abruptly in January. What better way to honor his life than to make it possible for a camper to attend Pine Island who would not otherwise be able to do so? I am pleased to announce that two generous Pine Islanders have already made substantial pledges to establish, within the A. Sidney Lovett Scholarship Fund, the Montague G. Ball Scholarship. They invite you to join them in honoring Monte’s legacy of loyalty and dedication by making a generous gift to help us reach our goal of $300,000, the income from which will provide a scholarship in perpetuity. Please join them in recognizing the impact Monte had on your life by helping us build this tribute to one of Pine Island’s best. Your gift will work as tirelessly as Monte did throughout his life to improve the lives of deserving young people.

Akka Lakka!

Rex Bates

Counselor, Assistant Director, Board Member Emeritus

Montague G. Ball, Jr. Memorial Scholarship at Pine Island