John H. Ball

Trustee Emeritus

John H. Ball is the retired chairman of R. M. Shoemaker Holdings, Inc., a leading building construction firm serving corporate, commercial, and institutional clients through the Mid-Atlantic States. Ball served as chairman and CEO of Shoemaker from 1974 until his retirement in 1999. He joined the company in 1955 and became president in 1967. During Ball’s tenure, the firm’s revenues grew from less than $10 million to more than $240 million by the time of his retirement. Shoemaker spearheaded the restoration of historic Franklin Court at Independence National Historical Park; the development of an 850,000-square-foot clinical teaching facility for Thomas Jefferson University; and SmithKline Beckman’s 877,000-square-foot research and development headquarters, Shoemaker’s first project of more than $100 million. Ball’s impact and influence extend beyond his leadership of Shoemaker. He served the community as a member and chairperson of the Advisory Board of the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania, trustee and chair of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, and member of the Board of Governors of Temple University Hospital. Similarly, he accepted leadership responsibilities within the Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church and chaired key task forces and committees of the Philadelphia Presbytery.