John Ball John Dudley Ball was born in Schenectady, New York, grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and attended college at Carroll College in Waukesha, Wisconsin. He wrote for a number of magazines and newspapers, including the Brooklyn Eagle. For a time he workedpart-time as a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy, and was trained in martial arts. John lived in Encino, California, and died in 1988. He is best known for his novels involving the character Virgil Tibbs. Read More Read Less