At work, we were trying to figure out who was John Ball and how did he get a zoo named after him? My first few searches didn't turn up anything so I shot an e-mail off to a local librarian for some help. They gave me this scoop:
John Ball was a teacher, lawyer, explorer and legislator. He was born in New Hampshire in 1794. He donated the original 40 acres of land to create John Ball Park. He left the land to the city of Grand Rapids upon his death in 1884, to be used as a park.
They also sent me to the accessKent website for more information. There is an autobiography posted online where you can read about his trip to Oregon with some fur traders if you're so inclined.