Dr. Gene V. Ball

Gene V. Ball died on Wednesday, March 13, in Birmingham, Alabama, surrounded by his loving wife of over 60 years, Sara Jane Ball, his daughters Rebecca Ball Campagna and Hilary Ball, and his son-in-law Doug Campagna. He is also survived by his loving grandson Julius Ball-Heldman, and 18 living nieces and nephews. A graveside memorial service will be held at Elmwood Cemetery at 11:00 a.m., on Monday, March 18, 2024.

Gene was born on June 28, 1931 in Rivesville, West Virginia to John Franklin Ball and Rebecca Rash Ball. The youngest of 10 children, Gene was always known to have an unusually curious and bright mind. At a young age, his sisters helped him discover his first great love, the joy of reading. Throughout his many years of living and traveling, this love stayed central to his heart, even in his final days.

Gene received his Doctor of Medicine from Vanderbilt University in January 1959. He then joined the UAB faculty in 1965 and was named the Jane Knight Lowe Professor in Medicine in Rheumatology in 1986. He was the interim director of the Rheumatology division for 18 months in 1995-1996, and UAB recognized and honored his contributions to academic excellence by naming him professor emeritus in 1997. He served in leadership roles in numerous professional organizations, committees, and boards, and amongst other proud achievements, he received multiple commendations from the Arthritis Foundation for his volunteering and service.

As a practicing physician, Gene was known as a favorite among the residents that rotated through his division, both due to his ability to make an entire room laugh, and due to his astute clinical observations and diagnoses that had eluded other doctors. Throughout his long career, he published over 30 scientific and medical papers, and co-edited seminal textbooks on vasculitis. He also maintained an expertise on the topic of Lupus, presenting at a medical conference on Flannery O’Connor’s lupus.

Gene’s curiosity about the world, combined with his desire to support global rheumatological advances, made him a world traveler. He lived in Thailand for several months and regularly made rounds in Bangkok hospitals, and he was given honorary memberships in both the Colombian and Peruvian Rheumatological Associations. His fondest memories of travel came from his interactions with people of all different backgrounds, and from the amazing diversity of architecture and wildlife that he saw. One of his family’s favorite photos of him – Gene’s playing with a couple of baby tigers – comes from the period of time when he was President of the Alabama Zoological Society.

Gene cared immensely about the wellbeing of his family, and to his final days his deep sense of humor was still strong, as he was continuously cracking up his family and the nurses around him. He never lost his love of reading, and his final words were “a newspaper would make my day.”

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Arthritis Foundation, or the charity of your choice.