Cornell University Athletics

He was the center on Cornell’s first football team (1887), and was vice commodore and stroke of the 1887 varsity crew which won IRA championships. In addition, he was president of the Athletic Association in 1888. He and his wife, the former Janet Jacks, gave funds to build and furnish Balch Halls as a residence for undergraduate women at Cornell. Dedicated in 1929, Balch Halls nearly doubled accommodations for women at the University. A leader in the organization and development of power and light companies in Southern California, Mr. Balch died in Los Angeles in 1943.