ONU Across Generations With the Neal Family
“We have seen many changes in our world,” says Debbie (Ballmer) Neal ’72. “God’s faithfulness is unchanging, especially through the generations of our family. Deciding to go to Olivet Nazarene University was a life-changing decision for my parents; my husband, Don; our son, Drew; and our grandsons, Chapman and Findlay; and many other members of my extended family.”
First-Generation Roots
Debbie’s ONU story began when her mother, Naomi (Bearinger) Ballmer, answered God’s call to mission work and enrolled as a student at what was then Olivet Nazarene College. She sang in Orpheus Choir and traveled with a vocal trio in the summer.
While at Olivet, Naomi met Verl Ballmer ’50, who was following God’s call to pastoral ministry after having served in the U.S. Navy. They married in 1946 and lived near campus in a small house that Verl built for them. Their two daughters, Pamela and Deborah, were born while they were still students.
Verl and Naomi became a devoted team as they pastored Nazarene churches in Ohio and Indiana for more than 35 years. Together, they raised five children who all attended Nazarene universities.
Second-Generation Commitment
Debbie had enrolled at Mount Vernon Nazarene College and was preparing to go there. A fire on campus prevented her from starting her freshman year. Her mother, Naomi, quickly pivoted and drove Debbie to Olivet, where she enrolled in 1968 as an English major with a minor in music. She also sang in Orpheus Choir and traveled with The Olivetians vocal ensemble group.
“While at Olivet, I gained confidence as a musician,” Debbie says. “I learned music that I had not heard in my local church or school. I learned that music moves people and that I could do something I love and contribute to my community at the same time. Dr. George Dunbar, my Orpheus Choir conductor, has been a great influence on my life. I’ve continued to sing in my community and have sung with Canterbury Voices, Oklahoma City’s symphony chorus, since 1991.”
After staying home to raise three sons, Debbie has spent her career teaching language arts in both middle school and high school; serving as an adjunct professor in the College of Professional and Graduate Studies at Southern Nazarene University; and working as a substitute teacher in both public and charter schools in the Oklahoma City area.
During her freshman year at Olivet, while decorating for the Christmas party, Debbie met Don Neal ’71. He had transferred to Olivet from Purdue University, answering God’s call to serve, and played for three years on the Tiger basketball team. They married in 1971 and are the parents of three sons.
An education major, Don’s first job after graduating from ONU was teaching mid-high science at the private Catholic school adjacent to the ONU campus. After two years teaching there, he entered Nazarene Theological Seminary, where he completed a master’s degree program with a dual major in religious education and cross-cultural relations. He then served at Nazarene churches in Detroit, Michigan and Colorado Springs. He subsequently filled university teaching positions at ONU and at Southwest Christian University. Currently, he is the CEO of the National Depository for Charitable Organizations, a nonprofit organization he founded to help keep rural hospitals open.
“Olivet provided an atmosphere for us to mature in our faith,” Don says. “Our professors modeled the Christian principles they taught us. Olivet is a major institution for spiritual growth and support.”
Third-Generation Confidence
Drew Neal ’00, the oldest son of Don and Debbie, recalls his first memory of being on the ONU campus. He was in eighth grade and attended a national Nazarene junior high basketball tournament there.
“Our team traveled from Oklahoma to Bourbonnais in a bus,” he says. “That was the first year McHie Arena was open. I was struck by how beautiful the campus was in the fall and how collegiate Olivet was. I remember thinking, ‘This is a place I could get used to.’”
In 1996 Drew entered ONU as a freshman, along with Nadia (Jantz) Neal ’00, whom he married in 1999.
“Nadia and I both came to ONU from Oklahoma on basketball scholarships,” he says. “We had already been dating and wanted to choose a college where we could go together. I played for the Tigers all four years, and she played one year.”
Drew adds that the two chose Olivet “even though it was 800 miles from home. Going away for college was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I became my own person, and I developed new respect for my family and community. I learned how to work hard for something I love. I also found my own faith at Olivet.”
As an incoming freshman, Drew’s career goal was to be a dentist so he could provide health services for adults and children. When he considered the additional education he would need, and also the plans he and Nadia were making for their future together, he changed his major to business administration. Since graduating from ONU, Drew has enjoyed a successful career in information technology, helping to build products for customers and companies in several industries.
“Tiger basketball was one of my main sources of growth as an ONU student,” Drew says. “I learned so much about myself and about discipline, hard work and the time commitment needed to succeed in college and in life. Our team had a lot of success, too. We qualified for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) national tournament all four years. We traveled to California, Hawaii and several other states. In my senior year, we had 30 wins and made the Final Four.”
Drew is still in touch with his teammates and friends from those ONU years.
“Our kids are now going through the same experiences in the same places,” he says. “They are walking under the same trees, playing on the same fields, forging their own memories. They are learning about themselves as they learn about others, just like we did. ONU creates a sacredness over generations.”
Fourth-Generation Growth
Chapman Neal, Drew and Nadia’s oldest child, enrolled as an ONU freshman in 2022. He is an exercise science major and a student-athlete on the Tiger track and field team. During his freshman year, his senior roommate quickly became his best friend. He also competed with his team at the Drake Relays, known as America’s Athletic Classic and regarded as one of the top track and field events in the U.S.
Findlay Neal, younger son of Drew and Nadia, is a freshman at ONU. He will soon be developing his own career trajectory and college memories.
“Good things happen at Olivet,” Debbie says. “We are passing on what we learned at Olivet to our family and to the world.”
Drew adds, “Olivet helped frame what we believe about life, truth and what’s important. What we learned during our Olivet days guides our belief system and what we do as a family today.”
From Olivet The Magazine, The God Who Sees Us – Winter 2025. Read the full issue here.
