Ballatine

Richard G Ballantine

Career Highlights:

   - Community & Civic Leadership

  • Colorado Forum: Serves as a member, contributing insights on regional policy, education, transportation, water rights, and media issues
  • Crow Canyon Archaeological Center: On the Board of Trustees since 1988, helping bridge heritage education and Indigenous knowledge

   - Fort Lewis College Champion

  • Former President, Fort Lewis College Trustees
  • Former President, Fort Lewis College Foundation
  • Awarded 2018 CASE District VI Volunteer of the Year for exceptional ongoing philanthropic activity.
  • Ballantine funded and championed the Community Concert Hall “Reflection” art installation at FLC, along with major donations of Native American weavings, visiting lectureships, scholarships, and public art—cementing the family’s legacy in campus culture.

    - Journalism & Media Evolution

  • Former President, Colorado Press Association
  • As publisher, Richard guided Ballantine Communications to expanded reach: acquired Cortez Journal, Mancos Times, Dolores Star, launched Tri City Record in 2023, and built robust digital marketing and media services across the Four Corners.
  • Embraced multimedia: print editions, websites, directories, lifestyle magazines and community events—sustaining a local voice in a changing industry.

    - Farming & Personal Passions

  • Continues to run his 400-acre farm on Florida Mesa—growing hay, oats, alfalfa, and using vintage tractors—while energetically gardening, collecting and restoring Alfa Romeos. Local figures say he’s “Southwest Colorado from the tip of his toes to the top of his head”.

    - Integrity & Legacy

  • Raised in a Durango media family rooted in editorial integrity, Richard upheld that tradition through transparency.
  • Served in the US Army in Vietnam, 1970-1972.
  • Praised by Colorado Governors Hickenlooper and Richard Lamm and other civic leaders for prioritizing journalism’s public purpose over profit.

    - Awards & Honors (Selected)

  • 1997, Colorado Newspaper Person of the Year
  • 2002, Recipient of the Sigma Delta Chi Award for public service journalism
  • 2018, CASE Volunteer of the Year for educational philanthropy

Richard Ballantine’s life is a tapestry of journalism, stewardship, civic leadership, higher education philanthropy, cultural patronage, and active farming. His quiet but steadfast approach continues to shape Durango's identity and community institutions.