Fine tribute to a doctor's love of bikes

You can go a long way in life on a bicycle. The late Dr. Lamonte T. "Monte" Ballard of Sterling proved it. Though Ballard died a little more than two years ago, people still fondly remember his dedication to his patients.

They also remember his service to the community in matters great and small.

They remember a doctor who delivered thousands of babies and who still made house calls to older patients who had become friends during his 45-year practice.

They remember a man so well thought of by his peers that he was honored as Illinois Rural Health Physician of the Year in 1994.

What they seem to remember most of all, however, is his love of bicycle riding.

He rode his bicycle almost every day to traverse the seven blocks from his home to his office. He became a familiar sight along Locust Street.

"I have sort of gotten addicted to my bicycle," he acknowledged in a 2001 interview with the Daily Gazette. He would make exceptions due to rain, ice or wind, but those days always seemed few and far between.

The bicycle wasn't just a transportation tool to Dr. Ballard. He liked to ride it for recreation. His wife, Pat, once said she and her husband would ride 20 miles a day on their bikes, enjoying each other's company and the beauty of the Sauk Valley.

It makes perfect sense that Ballard's love of bicycle riding should be memorialized. Now it has. A new Sterling Park District shelter dedicated in his name has been built along a bike trail behind the Westwood Sports and Expo Center Complex.

CGH Medical Center paid for a plaque to remember Ballard's contributions to the community. It contains a touching tribute: "Dr. Ballard was a Christian, healer, husband, father and friend. He cared for this community's health with a compassionate touch. God called Monte to be a physician and healer, and he answered God's calling with reverence."

There, next to these words, is an engraved photograph of Dr. Ballard standing next to his trusty bicycle.

Donations are being sought to finish paying for the shelter, and also to build additional ones every few miles along the trail.