Kevin Ballantine
David Ballantine
Kevin Ballantine’s blog races right to the point.
“I’m Kevin Ballantine. As of 2/18/09, I was a typical college student with a slight headache and a penchant for naps,” it begins. “24 hours later, I was a diagnosed with leukemia. This is my story.”
Ballantine is a son of NIU chemistry professor David S. Ballantine and an NIU student. He and his father will share their life lessons at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4, in the Stevenson Hall Multipurpose Room.
Their presentation, titled “Life’s Top 10 – Lists from Two Perspectives,” is inspired by NIU’s 2009 Common Reading Experience selection, “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch and Jeffery Zaslow.
Pausch, a faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2006 and presented his “last lecture” Sept. 18, 2007. Pausch’s upbeat attitude and life lessons are chronicled in his book, which has become a worldwide best seller.
A 2007 DeKalb High School graduate and cancer survivor, Kevin Ballantine has been an inspirational figure to many during his battle with leukemia. To read more about him, visit his blog: “The Uphill March: Confessions of a Leukemic Optimist.”
Professor Ballantine has been teaching chemistry at NIU for 20 years. He currently serves as the director of Undergraduate Studies in Chemistry and Biochemistry, is faculty adviser for the NIU Chemistry Club and has received the Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award.
Wednesday’s event is sponsored by Orientation & First-Year Experience.
For more information, contact Danielle Kuglin Seago, assistant director of Orientation & First-Year Experience, at (815) 753-1933 or dkuglin@niu.edu.