By Deborah Larsen
Neil Ballard Hartwig
Neil Ballard Hartwig was born in Detroit, Michigan, on March 22, 1923, the son of Max and Lillian O’Bryan Hartwig. The Hartwigs moved to Rochester when Neil was a teenager, and his father operated Max A. Hartwig Real Estate. Neil attended Rochester High School and graduated in the class of 1940.
In September 1943, Neil entered the U.S. Army Air Forces and participated in the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP), which equipped aviation cadets to qualify as aircrew members. Neil trained at Perrin Field and Brooks Field in Texas. He was discharged from military service in February 1946.
After the war, Neil married and started a family. He worked for American Airlines in Chicago before returning to Rochester and joining his father in the Max Hartwig Real Estate firm in 1956. He served as president of the Rochester Board of Realtors, vice president of the Rochester Chamber of Commerce, and was a member of the Rochester Rotary Club.
Neil Ballard Hartwig died at age 79 on November 23, 2002, and was laid to rest in Mount Avon Cemetery.