Joe Ballman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joe Ballman (October 10, 1979 – March 15, 2007) was a creative mind and an aspiring teacher, musician, and actor.
Born near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he attended public elementary school at Nashotah Elementary before moving with his family to Eugene, Oregon in 1991. He attended and graduated from the Winston Churhill High School in 1997. Nevertheless, he is remembered as "almost illiterate" by close friends.
Upon news of the discovery of his death underneath the Burnside Bridge, many were moved to hold a march in opposition to the Iraq war (according to some reports, several walked the entire way from the Burnside Bridge to his former apartment).
After moving to Portland, Oregon in 2002, Joe joined two musical acts. Nordic, a six-piece band from the Southeast side, and Parks & Recreation, a four-piece from northeast Portland. Both bands gave birth to one album, Nordic's "Transatlantic" in 2004, and P'n'R's "What Was She Doing on the Shore that Night" in 2006. Ballman was a founding member of Grammar School Pictures film production company. He worked on various independent film projects with co-founder, Matt Knapp. During this time (2005-2007) they completed one feature film and three shorts.
He was an unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Governor of Oregon in 2006.
