As Boothbay Harbor prepares to celebrate the 64th annual Windjammer Days, this year’s theme proudly honors the past, present, and retired members of the United States Navy who have served our nation with dedication and distinction. Throughout the coming weeks, we will feature a series of profiles highlighting local Navy service members—sharing their stories, experiences, and the lasting impact of their service. These articles are a tribute to the men and women whose commitment to duty reflects the maritime heritage at the heart of Windjammer Days and the deep appreciation of our community. Unfortunately not all current or former Navy service members in the area can be individually featured. To have a Navy veteran or active-duty member mentioned on the Windjammer Days webpage, please email Friends of Windjammers (www.boothbayharborwindjammerdays.org). Please include name and rank.

Will Ball has held senior positions in both the public and private sectors in a career that spans over 45 years in the Nation’s Capital.

Following six years of active duty in the Navy, Mr. Ball began working in Washington in 1975 on the U.S. Senate staff. For the next 10 years, he served in senior staff positions, including as a chief of staff for two former committee chairmen, Senator Herman Talmadge of Georgia and Senator John Tower of Texas. He also served as a professional staff member at the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Subsequently, Mr. Ball joined the Reagan Administration as the Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs under then Secretary of State George C. Shultz. In 1986, he joined the White House staff and was appointed Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs, where he served as President Reagan’s chief liaison to the Congress.

In 1988, he was nominated by President Reagan to be the 67th Secretary of the Navy, and was confirmed in March of that year by the Senate. Following completion of the President’s term in office, Mr. Ball moved to the private sector to become head of a national trade association representing major soft drink and beverage companies, and in 2005, he formed a government relations consulting firm. He has served as member of two Congressionally appointed commissions in Washington focusing on the Department of Defense and since 2014 has served as director of the Governor’s Defense Initiative for the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

Ball is a native of South Carolina and a 1969 Navy ROTC graduate of Georgia Tech. After receiving his commission, he served as a Surface Warfare Officer assigned to the guided missile destroyer USS Sellers (DDG-11) for three years before being transferred to duties in the Pentagon. In addition to his business activities, he is a trustee and former chairman of the Asia Foundation, a former trustee of the Maine Maritime Academy, and a former director of the Naval Historical Foundation. He is the recipient of honorary degrees from Furman University and the College of Charleston, and is a member of the Society of the Cincinnati in Maryland.

He and his wife Patty have four grown daughters and five grandchildren and reside in Alexandria, Virginia. They also have a summer place in East Boothbay, overlooking the mouth of Little River. They enjoy that spot with their children and grandchildren.