Norfolk City Virginia USGenWeb Archives Obituaries.....Balmer, Horace August 11, 2015 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/va/vafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Diane Renfrow dianel14@gmail.com February 28, 2018, 6:52 am Virginian-Pilot, The (Norfolk, VA) - August 13, 2015 By Ed Miller The Virginian-Pilot For 17 years, Horace Balmer was trusted with one of the biggest jobs in professional sports. As senior vice president of security for the NBA, his task was nothing less than protecting the integrity of the league. Balmer , a Norfolk native who died Tuesday at 76, did it well, helping change the perception of the league from troubled and drug-plagued and aiding its transition into a global brand. Balmer joined the league in 1985 after a 20-year career as a New York City detective. He operated out of the public eye, but was known to several generations of players as both an advocate and as the face of the law in the league. "I came in at a time when we were trying to eradicate drug use in the NBA, trying to either get these players out of the league or get them some help," Balmer said in an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer after announcing his retirement in 2002. "Around that time, there was a collective bargaining agreement in place where if a person came forward, they could get help. But if they got caught and didn't get help, they'd be banned for life. So part of my job was to clean up the drug activity players were involved in." Balmer also helped create the NBA rookie transition program and did everything from investigating allegations of gambling to performing background checks on potential team owners. He accompanied the first "Dream Team" to the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona and cultivated relationships with police in every NBA city. Though he spent his professional life in New York, the Booker T. Washington High graduate maintained a connection to his hometown. He was one of the co- founders of the Hampton Roads African-American Sports Hall of Fame in the 1990s, seeing a need to highlight achievements of athletes from the days of segregation who did not receive mainstream media coverage. Balmer often took friends from Norfolk to NBA All-Star games and even introduced local officials to commissioner David Stern when the region was pursuing a franchise. "He was able to leave this area when it was very small and navigate the big city and become very successful," said Ralston McInnis, who was a year behind Balmer in high school. "But he was still a rather warm and humble person, and he wanted to expose people who didn't leave the area to a bigger world." Balmer was also an entrepreneur. He and a partner, a retired police officer, owned a jazz club in Harlem. "It was patronized by a lot of retired policemen, so everybody was packing," said Quinton Gordon, a retired management consultant who grew up with Balmer and saw him frequently when he lived in New Jersey. "The bad guys would walk in the club, get a sense of the joint and then leave." Balmer moved back to the area after his mother became ill. He and a partner opened a jazz club in Suffolk, and Balmer became one of the founders of "The Lunch Bunch," an informal group of men who met every Tuesday. Many of them were fellow Booker T. graduates who went on to successful careers. The group also mentored youth at the Norfolk Detention Center. Balmer was such a regular that when he missed a Tuesday lunch about a year ago, several men went to check on him at his house in Suffolk. Balmer had suffered a stroke, McInnis said. Lately, though, his health had seemingly improved, and he had returned to the lunch group. "His advice to us was always: 'Don't schedule anything on Tuesdays,' " McInnis said. Balmer 's funeral is 11 a.m. Saturday at New Hope Church of God In Christ on 3232 Brest Avenue in Norfolk. Ed Miller, 757-446-2372, ed.miller@pilotonline.com --------- Virginian-Pilot, The (Norfolk, VA) - August 13, 2015 Norfolk Horace D. Balmer Sr., known to many as "Kitibu" passed away on August 11th at the age of 76. Born in Norfolk on B Avenue, he was the only son of Martha "Biddy" Balmer . He attended Booker T. Washington High School and Norfolk State University. Horace served for 20 years as a detective with the New York Police Department. He later became Senior Vice President of Security for the National Basketball Association. After his retirement from the NBA, he co-founded the Hampton Roads Sports Hall of Fame. Horace was also a successful entrepreneur owning several businesses in New York and Virginia. Left to mourn his passing and celebrate his remarkable life are his daughter Pamela Balmer -Murphy, his son Horace D. Balmer Jr., six grandchildren, and his loving partner Audrey Askew. Funeral services are scheduled for this Saturday, August 15th at 11am at New Hope Church of God In Christ, 3232 Brest Ave., Norfolk, VA 23509. A viewing will be held from 1 to 8pm and a wake 5 to 7pm both Friday at Graves Funeral Home, 1631 Church Street, Norfolk, VA 23504. gravesfuneralhomeinc.com Additional Comments: Calvary Cemetery BALMER, HORACE Section 23, Block 23A, Lot 36, 08/11/2015 IM File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/va/norfolkcity/obits/b/balmer14355gob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/vafiles/ File size: 5.5 Kb