REMEMBERING ARMAND BALL

In the span of just a few weeks, the international camping community lost two pillars of the global camping movement who were both instrumental in the establishment of the International Camping Fellowship (ICF). We mourn the loss of Dick and Armand, while also celebrating and honouring their remarkable contributions.

ARMAND BALL (1930 – 2025)

Armand Ball passed away on November 15, 2025, at 95 years of age.

An American original, Armand earned a Bachelor of Arts from Louisiana College in 1951, a Master of Religious Education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1953, and a Master of Science from George Williams College of Aurora University in 1960. Armand served as Royal Ambassador Director for the Indiana Women’s (Baptist) Missionary Union, directing their boys’ camps from 1953–1957; Program Director for the Woodlawn Boys’ Club in Chicago, Illinois, from 1957–1958; and Camp Director for the YMCA of Nashville, Tennessee, from 1958–1962. He later served as Director of the Camp Widjiwagan Branch of the St. Paul YMCA (Minnesota) from 1962–1974, and as Executive Vice President, then Chief Executive Officer, of the American Camping Association from 1974–1988, until his retirement.

In 1988, Armand became a co-founder of ICF. Together, Armand and his wife, Beverly, wrote nine editions of Basic Camp Management, a book translated into multiple languages. Recognized experts in the field, Armand and Beverly taught courses for camp directors in countries around the world for more than 40 years. Basic Camp Management became the curriculum for the International Camp Directors Course (ICDC).

ICF Board Member Tennant Kiu remembers Armand:

Armand’s wisdom, generosity, and lifelong dedication to the camp community have shaped the way thousands of camp leaders are trained around the world. As ICDC graduates, we are all part of his legacy. Every course delivered and every young person impacted through camp is a continuation of the work he believed in so deeply. We honor his life, his contributions, and the lasting impact he leaves on our global camp community.

Armand spent a lifetime nurturing camp experiences and mentoring others. In Armand’s words:

Thanks to camp, my first camping trip at age 14 sparked my love for the outdoors.
Thanks to camp, I gained confidence and leadership skills as a counselor and program director, eventually working professionally as a camp director for boys’ camps in three states and later at the American Camp Association.
Thanks to camp, I gained an appreciation for the value of outdoor group experiences and the responsibility we have as stewards of nature.
Thanks to camp, my work at the American Camp Association allowed me to collaborate with camp leaders across the United States.
Thanks to camp, I was able to meet many people outside my own country. I realized we needed a way for camp directors to share ideas across borders, so I worked with colleagues to found the International Camping Conference in Washington, DC, in 1987. This gathering sparked the idea for an international course for camp directors, leading to the subsequent ICF Congress in Mexico City and a training-of-trainers program later organized in Quebec City.
Thanks to camp, I dream of the day when future camp directors in all 100 ICF countries will have the training they need to support youth education.

My name is Armand Ball, and this is just part of my ICF camping story.