John Ballantine, WTTW-WFMT Trustee and Former Bank Executive, Dies at 80

Eunice Alpasan | August 10, 2026, 4:04 pm

John Ballantine served as a trustee at Window to the World Communications, the parent organization of WTTW and WFMT, for 34 years and served as a vice chair during his tenure. (Provided)

John Ballantine, a longtime WTTW and WFMT trustee and supporter of the arts, died last week, his family announced. He was 80.

Ballantine served as a trustee at Window to the World Communications, the parent organization of WTTW and WFMT, for 34 years and served as a vice chair during his tenure.

Ballantine “passed away peacefully” Aug. 5, according to a family statement.

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Ballantine also served on the board of Public Radio International and was a life board director of the Harris Theater for Music and Dance and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Ballantine also sat on several corporate boards over the years, according to a biography.

“John Ballantine was an extraordinary friend and champion of WTTW and WFMT,” President and CEO Sandra Cordova Micek said in a statement. “For more than three decades as a Trustee and Vice Chair, John brought wisdom, generosity, and a deep belief in the power of public media. His leadership strengthened WTTW and WFMT and so many of the civic and cultural institutions he cared about.”

Board trustees, which are unpaid positions, are elected by board peers to serve three-year renewable terms. The board aims to support the mission of WTTW and WFMT by serving as ambassadors in the community and offering expertise in the development of the organization’s strategic direction.

Ballantine, also a private investor, retired in 1998 from the bank First Chicago NBD Corp., where he served as executive vice president and chief risk management officer, according to a biography.

He was born in Ohio, and graduated from Washington and Lee University in 1968 and earned his MBA at the University of Michigan in 1970.

In an obituary, his family described Ballantine as a “fabulous dinner partner” full of wit who was also a voracious reader. “John was a father and grandfather to those he loved, finding as much joy in a five-year-old’s finger painting as he did in fine art,” the obituary reads.

Ballantine is survived by his wife of 55 years, Caroline, sister-in-law Molly Ballantine, his nephews David Ballantine and John Wallis Ballantine, his niece Liza Ballantine and other members of his extended family.

In lieu of flowers, the family requested contributions in Ballantine’s memory to WTTW and WFMT. There will be no public memorial service.

Note: This story was written and edited by WTTW News editorial staff members without external review.