Persona

Balon, Brett, 1953-

Name: Brett Balon Place of Residence: Regina, Saskatchewan Education: Brett Balon studied at the University of Regina from 1971 until 1976, when he received his Bachelors of Arts Honours. He also studied French at the University of Victoria in 1971, the CEGEP de Jonquiere in Quebec in 1973, and at the Universite de Laval, also in Quebec, in 1974. From 1976 to 1977 he lived in London, Ontario, earning a Master of Library Science from the University of Western Ontario in 1978. He took graduate courses in sociology at the University of Western Ontario in the fall of 1977 as well. He acquired a Certificate, Data Processing, from the University of Regina in 1987, and received his PhD from Greenwich University, Hilo, Hawaii, in 1993. Occupation, life and activities: Balon became Branch Supervisor at the Southeast Regional Library in Weyburn from 1978 until 1982, when he joined the City of Regina as Records Management Supervisor. He has held a number of related positions at the City, and currently is the Record System Administrator, Information Systems. Brett Balon has contributed to the anthologies "Cracked Wheat" (1984), "More Saskatchewan Gold" (1985), "Heading Out: the New Saskatchewan Poets" (1987), "200 % Cracked Wheat" (1992), and "Black Water II" (1990). He edited "Survival of the Imagination: The Mary Donaldson Memorial Lectures" (1993) with Peter Resch. He has written many articles on records management, librarianship and archives, and received an Honourable Mention in the Children's Literature category of the Saskatchewan Literary Awards for 1981. Balon co-founded and was President of the Weyburn Writers Group (1980-82), Chair of the Saskatchewan Writers Guild (1983-84), President, Saskatchewan Library Association (1986-87), President, ARMA International, Saskatchewan Chapter (1990-91) and President (1987-88 and 1991-92) and Board Member (1984-present) of Coteau Books. Balon was also President of the Lupus Erythematosis Society of Saskatchewan in 1992-93. He died in 1997.