This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The recent death of longtime Salt Lake Chamber President Fred Ball brought to mind a favorite story he used to tell that demonstrated the self-effacing humor that was part of his charm.
It begins with his youthful desire to be a sportswriter and ends when a lightning strike dashed that dream.
When he was a student at then-Weber State College in the early 1950s, Ball was a sports correspondent for The Salt Lake Tribune.
Earning pennies per column inch on his stories, he covered the less-glamorous events: amateur baseball games or high-school track meets.
One day, he was assigned to an American Legion baseball tournament game in northern Utah. He was expected to phone in his report to the sports desk when the game ended, probably around 8 p.m.
At night's end, when the paper was being put to bed, Sports Editor Jack Schroeder was reviewing the list of stories that he planned to run. It was about midnight, and he noticed one article had yet to come in. It was Ball's.
So Schroeder called the young correspondent at his home, waking him up.
"Where's the story?" the editor demanded.
"Well, there is no story," Ball responded.
He explained that, just before the opening pitch, lightning had struck — and killed — the third baseman while taking the field. Officials canceled the game, and Ball went home, concluding there was no story to write.
After asking why Ball didn't think the tragic death of a baseball player from a fluke lightning strike was a story, Schroeder fired the aspiring sportswriter on the spot. He just didn't think Ball was cut out to be a journalist.
With that budding career stopped short, Ball set his sights on new adventures, eventually becoming an icon in Salt Lake City's business community.
Ball — whose life will be celebrated at funeral services Monday at noon in the Wilford LDS Stake Center, 3080 S. 1765 East — was known for his upbeat style and cheerleader-type enthusiasm.
He died Tuesday at age 82 after coming back from several near-death experiences during the past few years as he battled various forms of cancer.
The chamber's boss for 25 years, he helped pave the way for the coming of the Utah Jazz, expand Salt Lake City's convention business and a develop an international airport.
After he retired from the chamber, he became a Zions Bank vice president and produced a daily radio segment called "Speaking on Business."
He would go to a business, interview the proprietors and patrons, learn its history and write the script, which he then would read on the air for numerous stations throughout Utah and Idaho.
As a business booster, unlike as a journalist, Ball always was on top of his game.