The Tahoe Rim Trail Association announces the naming of the Stephen S. Ball Mile! In May of 2014, the TRTA was informed of a generous unrestricted bequest from the Stephen Ball Revocable Trust. The first distribution was presented to the Association on August 29, 2015 with great fanfare at the Big Meadow Trailhead by Virginia Moy, Successor Trustee, and Barbara Boucke, long-time friend of Steve. The mile dedicated in Steve’s honor is the last mile completed on the Rim to Reno project, linking the Tahoe Rim Trail on Relay Ridge to the top of Mt. Houghton and affords panoramic views of Lake Tahoe and the Highway 80 corridor and beyond. This mile is especially fitting due to the historical connection of Steve and his family to the Highway 80 corridor.
The TRTA Board has placed this generous gift in the Tahoe Rim Trail Stewardship Fund held at the Community Foundation of Western Nevada. This fund is board restricted to support capital projects and TRTA programs which further the organization’s mission to maintain and enhance the Tahoe Rim Trail system, practice and inspire stewardship and preserve access to the beauty of the Lake Tahoe region.
Stephen S. Ball was born in Berkeley, CA in September 1944 and passed away in his home in St Helena on April 11, 2014. Steve was the youngest son of Gordon H. and Dorothy E. Ball. He was raised in Alamo, CA and graduated from San Ramon Valley High School. Steve was the youngest son in a family that, for three generations, has been involved in major construction. His grandfather, Nathan Ball, and his father, Gordon H. Ball, were highway and heavy construction pioneers, building California’s infrastructure of freeways (e.g. Highway 80), aqueducts, bridges and public transit facilities depended upon by millions of people every day. Steve was a keen student of history and politics as well as an astute observer and participant in the stock market. He was a great champion of individual civil liberties as well as an advocate for California’s remarkable natural resources. Steve loved animals. He believed one should respect nature by preserving open spaces where practical and by respecting and supporting efforts to retain historical land uses such as agriculture.
Steve had a huge heart and was a kind and gentle man. He was loyal to his friends and family and showed great compassion to those less fortunate than he. Steve leaves behind his brothers Nate and Dennis and his sisters Susan Syar and Marsha Ball. He also leaves and extraordinary legacy for 16 charitable organizations encompassing social welfare and health services, individual civil liberties, land conservation, animal welfare and continuing research in ways to protect our precious resources.
Steve wanted to see the oceans cared for – hence his support of Marin’s Marine Mammal Center. He loved the Sierra Nevada range – especially the Highway 80 corridor. His idea of a great treat was to take the train to Reno and back. So, the Tahoe Rim Trail Association was his choice to support his beloved mountains. He also supported the California State Railroad Museum.
For more information about how to become a Tahoe Rim Trail member, volunteer, or how to include the TRTA in your estate plans, contact the Tahoe Rim Trail Association at info@tahoerimtrail.org or 775-298-4485, or visit the website at www.tahoerimtrail.org. The Tahoe Rim Trail Association, founded in 1981, is a non-profit organization, which works to enhance, protect and preserve the Tahoe Rim Trail system.
-From a press release
