Pictured are Kristen and Dr. Phillip Bale. Courtesy of WKU
STAFF REPORT
Glasgow News 1
The Hilltopper Excellence Awards recognized nine esteemed alumni and dedicated benefactors of WKU as part of the “Once Upon a Hill” Homecoming festivities on Thursday at Knicely Conference Center. Among the honorees were Dr. Phillip W. Bale and Kristen T. Bale of Glasgow.
The Bales were recognized as honorary alumni, according to a press release from the university. The information below was provided as part of the recognition.
Phillip W. Bale, M.D., is a family physician who has practiced in Glasgow, Ky., since 1979. A native of Elizabethtown, Ky., he received a Bachelor of Science in Zoology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, followed by a medical degree from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine. He then completed a three-year Family Medicine residency with the University of Virginia.
Phillip has served on numerous local and state boards, including 12 years on the Glasgow Board of Education, serving as Chair the last eight years. He founded the University of Louisville-Glasgow Family Medicine Residency Program in 1997 and recently completed two consecutive three-year terms on the Board of The Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
A native of Milwaukee, Wis., Kristen T. Bale graduated from University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor of Science in Special Education. Upon moving to Lexington, Ky., Kristen taught for three and a half years in Fayette County Public Schools while Phillip completed medical school.
Once settled in Glasgow, Ky., Kristen became a volunteer for the Glasgow Public Schools’ Special Education Program, taught adults to read at Barren County’s Mary Wood Weldon Library and served on boards of the South Central Kentucky Cultural Center and First Christian Church, Glasgow. At the state level, she has served on The Prichard Committee, Leadership Kentucky Board, the Lexington Theological Seminary Board of Trustees and the Kentucky Humanities Council Board. She presently serves on the Kentucky Center for Leadership Board.
The Bales have supported WKU through their personal philanthropy and through various boards and committees, including terms on the WKU Board of Regents. Kristen served as a Regent from 1992 until 2005 and was Chair from 2000 to 2002. Phillip, a current Regent since 2013, will serve until 2027. He was Chair from 2017 to 2019 and 2021 to 2023.
The couple has four children and eight grandchildren. Their family includes several Hilltoppers: their daughter Lindsey Bale Howard (’05); their son, Garnett W. Bale (’07); Phillip’s late mother, Joy Bale Boone (’99, H.D.), who holds an Honorary Doctorate; and Phillip’s late sister, Barbara O. Bale (’61).
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