Amherst, Massachusetts, where he was initiated into the Delta Kappa Epsilon (DKE) fraternity. He served in the U.S. Naval Air Corps during World War II. He also volunteered as a Lay Reader for the Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina, traveling to lead services in parishes without rectors. He was a longtime active member of the Episcopal Church of the Ascension in Hickory. Ballenger retired in 2004 and was succeeded by one-term Republican state representative Patrick T. McHenry. Ballenger died on February 18, 2015, aged 88. References External links Retrieved on 2009-5-16 |- |- |- 1926 births 2015 deaths County commissioners in North Carolina Republican Party North Carolina state senators Republican Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives Military personnel from North Carolina United States Navy pilots of World War II Amherst College alumni People from Hickory, North Carolina Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from North Carolina 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American politicians Anglican lay readers