Aleta Fenceroy
Born
Aleta Jean Ballard

December 27, 1948
Princeton, Illinois
DiedSeptember 23, 2006
Omaha, Nebraska
Occupation(s)Musician, programmer, activist
Notable workFenceberry

Aleta Jean Ballard Fenceroy (December 27, 1948 – September 23, 2006)[1] was an American musician, computer programmer, and activist. A church organist by profession, she was also co-publisher of Fenceberry, an early internet newsletter of LGBT information.

Early life

Aleta Jean Ballard was born in Princeton, Illinois, the daughter of M. Stanley Ballard and Letha Sidebottom Ballard. Her father was a Methodist clergyman and a World War II veteran.[2][3][4] She graduated from Riceville High School in 1964.[5] She studied music at Morningside College, and earned an MFA in organ performance from the University of Minnesota. In 1998 she earned an associate's degree in computer programming from Western Iowa Tech Community College.[1][6]

Career

Fenceroy worked at the Iowa Department of Corrections, and was an application developer at First Data Resources in Omaha, Nebraska. She was also a church organist for 30 years in Iowa City, Iowa.[7] She sang with, and was accompanist for, the River City Mixed Chorus in Omaha.[1] She was also musical director of shows at the Lamb Productions Dinner Theatre in Sioux City,[8][9] and composed music for children's shows at Lamb Productions' Hot Dog Theater.[10]

In 1990s, Fenceroy and her partner, Jean Mayberry, were described as "the most visible homosexual people in Sioux City".[11] Fenceroy served on the Sioux City School District's educational equity committee.[12] She and Mayberry started a newsletter of LGBT information. It was originally a printed newsletter, assembled and distributed locally from their home in Iowa City, but in 1993, they started a daily email-based version,[13] called Fenceberry based on their surnames. From 1993 to 2004, their subscriber base grew to more than a thousand readers.[14] "It didn't start out as service for other people," Mayberry explained. "We wanted the information ourselves."[15] In 1999 they were named as "an indispensable part of gay politics" in The Advocate's "Our Best and Brightest Activists" feature.[16] They were never paid for the project, and decided to retire the service in 2004, to turn their attention to other projects, including the John Kerry presidential campaign.[15]

Personal life

Aleta Ballard and James Fenceroy married in the 1960s; they had two children, Michelle and Jeremy. She and the children lived in Norway for four years in the 1970s.[17][18] She and Mayberry were among the 2000 couples unofficially married by Troy Perry at a mass ceremony on the steps of the Internal Revenue Service Building during the March on Washington in 1993.[19] She died in 2006, at the age of 57, from cancer.[1][20]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Highleyman, Liz. "Lesbian Activist Aleta Fenceroy Dies" Bay Area Reporter (September 28, 2006), via GLBT Historical Society, Online Searchable Obituary Database.
  2. ↑ "Sidebottom-Ballard". Bureau County Tribune. 1947-04-04. p. 5. Retrieved 2022-06-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ "Ballard Named Parish Pastor". Des Moines Tribune. 1971-01-09. p. 3. Retrieved 2022-06-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ Aleta J Ballard in the 1950 United States Federal Census, via Ancestry.com.
  5. ↑ "Graduation Scheduled at Riceville". Globe-Gazette. 1966-05-16. p. 10. Retrieved 2022-06-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Degrees Awarded at Western Iowa Tech". Sioux City Journal. 1998-05-09. p. 5. Retrieved 2022-06-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Church News". Sioux City Journal. 1991-10-04. p. 2. Retrieved 2022-06-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Little Show of Horrors next at Lamb Productions". Sioux City Journal. 1988-02-26. p. 11. Retrieved 2022-06-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "Lamb Celebrates 10th Anniversary". Sioux City Journal. 1988-08-26. p. 19. Retrieved 2022-06-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ Steinbach, Gale L. (1989-07-15). "Children's Theater Production Focuses on Sensitive Issue". Sioux City Journal. p. 7. Retrieved 2022-06-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ Lalley, Patrick (1994-12-10). "Gays Must Live with Fears". Sioux City Journal. p. 1. Retrieved 2022-06-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ Casey, Stacy M. (1995-03-08). "Panel debates teaching bout homosexuality". Sioux City Journal. p. 1. Retrieved 2022-06-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ Friess, Steve (March 2, 1999). "Cyber Activism". The Advocate: 37.
  14. ↑ Osborne, Duncan (2006-10-11). "Our Mission – Gay City News". gaycitynews.com. Retrieved 2022-06-11.
  15. 1 2 Letellier, Patrick (September 28, 2004). "Their Last Headline". The Advocate: 20.
  16. ↑ "Aleta Fenceroy and Jean Mayberry". The Advocate: 55. August 17, 1999.
  17. ↑ Gavis, Karen. "Musician JJ Fenceroy Sings for the People as He Runs for City Council". Dallas Observer. Retrieved 2022-06-11.
  18. ↑ Sanford, Harvey M. (1989-01-16). "King Scholar Gets Taste of Meteorology". Sioux City Journal. p. 5. Retrieved 2022-06-11 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ Miller, Neil (May–June 2004). "Same-sex marriage comes to Massachusetts". UU World Magazine. Retrieved 2022-06-11.
  20. ↑ "Aleta Fenceroy Obituary". Omaha World-Herald, via Legacy.com. September 25, 2006. Retrieved 2022-06-11.
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