OBITUARY The “Book” of His Life Using Bill’s Favorite Sayings CHAPTER 1: “I DIDN’T GET THIS WAY BY OSMOSIS” William Grafton Hall, affectionately called Billy or Pluck by his family and later his community, made his entrance into this world on Friday, October 11, 1935. At a time when options were limited for “colored people,” he was delivered in the family home by Dr. Ulysses Bourne, Sr. His parents, James T. Hall, Sr. and Minnie Adelaide Dixon Hall, lovingly raised their second son and his seven siblings (Dicky, Joy, Jimmy, Karen, Reggie, Darryl, and Ann) at 22 South Bentz Street in Frederick, MD. Growing up in the Hall household involved lots of music, singing, and love…all squeezed into a two-bedroom townhome beside Mullinix Park, a city park that was initiated by a former Frederick alderman to serve the colored community. Prior to his birth and in the early years of Billy’s life, his grandparents, Albert V. Dixon (Frederick’s first Black undertaker) and Minnie Leakins Dixon, also lived in the home. The Halls’ extended family, including the residents of Bentz Street, West All Saints Street, and Phebus Avenue, helped to form the community that nurtured the Hall children. Billy would often reflect on how his family, community, and experiences shaped him, the love they gave him, and the debt he owed them. CHAPTER 2: “EVERYTHING GREEN’S GOT TO GROW” Born 19 years before Brown vs. Board of Education abolished segregation in schools and 29 years before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Pluck grew up in a separate but unequal world. Yet his youth involved watching his grandparents operate their funeral business and seeing his parents work hard to provide for the family. Billy started his first real job at age 11 (alongside his brother, Dicky, who was 13). He was employed by the V.F.W. Golf Course as a caddy. Billy was proud that he was able to bring money home to his family (and keep a little for himself). Later in life, he still had marks on his body that came from carrying two bags at a time for golfers. Pluck loved that Mondays were “Caddy Day,” the only time when people of color were allowed to play on the course. While his relationship with golf began as labor, it grew into love, especially after Tiger Woods began playing professionally in 1996. Pluck’s experiences with sports were a key part of his growth and development. In a family full of athletes, their success was legendary (according to Pluck, who may have exaggerated at times). At Lincoln High, Frederick’s school for Blacks, Pluck played on various sports teams with his brother, Dicky, his first true friend. Floyd Brown, who met Billy in kindergarten, was most likely his second friend. After graduating from Lincoln in 1953, Bill entered the United States Air Force as soon as he turned 18 in October (his mom refused to sign for him to enter at 17). His service between 1953 and 1957 (during the Korean War Era) allowed him to see different parts of the world and experience the full spectrum of racial experiences in America. Bill credited a white man with helping him to pass the exam for a special Air Force program, told stories of how he was warned to never leave the base unaccompanied in Mississippi, and enjoyed playing football at Lockbourne AFB in Columbus, OH, which provided an escape from his military duties. An Air Force scholarship helped him attend Morgan State College from 1958 to 1962. Pluck was known for his speed, spunkiness, friendliness, and willingness to do whatever was needed to succeed. For two years, he was the starting running back on the football team. His departure from Morgan allowed Leroy Kelly to move up (Kelly later played for the Cleveland Browns beside Jim Brown before being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame). At Morgan, Bill was one of the first players who lettered in four sports (football, track, golf, and wrestling). CHAPTER 3: “WHERE THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD” After college, Bill began to make a life for himself. He worked as a patient assistant at Springfield State Hospital from 1962 to 1964. During that time (in 1963), his son, Keith, was born. Pluck married Carolyn Jones in 1964. He began working at Fort Detrick as a Biological Lab Technician in 1965, the same year they welcomed their daughter, Denise. It was his career move to Eastalco Aluminum Company in 1969 that changed his life. Bill credited Sherman Mason with recruiting him and thereby elevating his family’s economic status. His daughter, Tia, was born that same year. Pluck raised his family in the same home he’d grown up in. After he and Carolyn divorced, he purchased a home in the Mountaingate community. After valiantly pursuing the former Alice Clark, a woman who held the distinction of having the same birthday as his beloved mother. Bill was blessed to make Alice his wife on April 25, 1981. Bill’s love of sports was a constant in his life. He excelled at slow pitch softball, bowling, coaching, watching the Maryland Terrapins, and his first love, golf. Interestingly, in adulthood he was still not allowed to play at the V.F.W. until Eastalco’s Ed Shaughnessy informed the V.F.W. that if their employee was not allowed to play, they’d pull their business. The organization promptly began allowing Blacks to play their course, and Bill learned an important lesson about corporate integrity and economic empowerment. Bill credited his tenure at Eastalco with shaping his leadership philosophy. His accomplishments at the company included running the carbon plant in Buckeystown, MD, travelling to Holland to open a new plant, and outrunning a bullet or two during a few of the plant’s labor strikes. Bill gave 25 years of his life to Eastalco before retiring as Carbon Plant Foreman in 1993. CHAPTER 4: “YOU’RE EITHER PART OF THE SOLUTION OR PART OF THE PROBLEM” Upon retiring at age 56, Bill was committed to enjoying life and making a difference. His first priority was spending quality time with his family, especially after the death of his daughters’ mom in 1995. He helped with his grandsons, often picking them up at school and coaching them in basketball and made it a point to be a key part of their growth and development. He also achieved his goals via singing and community service. With singing, he was a member of the Souls on Fire, Tree of Life, and Whosoever Will choirs. He loved leading songs and singing for the Lord at churches throughout the region. And he rarely refused requests to sing at weddings, funerals, nursing homes, and other events. Pluck also lived for singing karaoke around town, especially at the Holiday/Clarion Inn where he was a Karaoke Rock Star! Tia and Keith shared his love of singing, while Denise shared his love of community service and politics. Bill was proud of his children, grandchildren, and sons-in-law, and he was quick to brag to whoever would listen, including during his last hospital stay. Bill’s community service involved serving on the Mountaingate Homeowners Association Board from 1985 to 1990 (including as president). He was on the City of Frederick Planning and Zoning Commission from 1993 to 1998. He then decided to run for political office. Bill was twice elected Alderman for the City of Frederick, serving between 1998 and 2006. He was the first Black Democrat elected to this office. Together with his political partner, Alderman Blaine Young, Bill was known for being straightforward and getting to “the bottom line.” In his second term, he received the most votes in the race and was selected Mayor Pro Tem by his peers. Alderman Hall served on the Frederick City Ad-Hoc Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO) Rewrite Committee, Commission on Aging, and Streets and Sanitation Commission, which he chaired from 2002 to 2006. He was also liaison to the Dept. of Public Works. His mother, Adelaide Hall, would attentively watch every televised Mayor and Board meeting and then provide her son with praise and critiques when she called him at 7 a.m. the next morning. In 2006, Bill received Governor Erlich’s Black History Makers Award. CHAPTER 5: “EVERY DAY’S A NEW DAY” Following his time as Alderman, Bill flirted with a run for mayor but decided instead to devote even more time to his grandchildren after the death of their father. “Pop Pop,” as Tre (Ralph III), William, and Malcolm called him, was a major influence in their lives. Unable to leave public service behind, Bill helped to start the Kent Group, an organization devoted to promoting political and economic empowerment for African Americans. He also mentored, encouraged, as was proud of several younger people in the community (Daryl Boffman, Dwaine Robbins, Kavonté Duckett, Gayon Sampson, and more). Thanks to then County Commissioner Blaine Young, Bill also served on the Frederick County Planning Commission from 2012 to 2017. He was also a member of Asbury United Methodist Church, Mountain City Lodge #382, American Legion Post 11, NAACP, and the Masons. In 2008, he was recognized by BlackFrederick.com as a Community Icon. While he appreciated the many awards he received throughout his life, one accomplishment he bragged about was being the first person to achieve a hole-in-one at the City’s Clustered Spires Golf Course. As he aged, Bill expressed gratitude for each day he was alive. In context, he lived more years than any other male in the Hall family. CHAPTER 6: “YOU’RE KIDDING ME” Bill surprised us all by departing this world on Thursday, August 18, 2022. He is survived by his: wife of 41 years, Alice Hall; children, Keith Worthington (Beatriz), Dr. Denise Rollins (Gary), and Tia Hall-Brown (Antwione); grandchildren, Ralph III, William, and Malcolm Brown, Nahif Abdul, Geneva and Daniel Burgess, and Kasheba Rollins-Fiscus (Kenny); great grandchildren, Korea Burgess, and Alyce, Olivia, and Kensley Fiscus; mother-in-law, Addie Clark; siblings, Joy Onley (Bobby), James Hall, Jr. (Jan), Karen Hall, and Ann Shivers (Edmond); sisters-in-law, Viola Johnson (LaVern), Sarah Harrison, Joan Hall, and Donna Hall; godchildren, Karen Chapman, Candace Davis, and J.R. Young; and a host of nieces, nephews, and other family members. He also leaves behind a list of friends (it’s too long to name everyone) including: Floyd Brown, Chuck Foreman, Lisa “Hula” Kesteven, Howard Hoy, Blaine Young, Carlton Boujai, Donny Ambush, Earl Robbins, Dwaine Robbins, Paul and Peggy Throne, Wayne and Delite Fox, Pete and Carol Markey, Mike and Candice Kelly, Ron Anderson, and Rudy Spencer. He’ll also be missed by his beloved grand dogs, Tyson, Apollo, and Erie, and grand cat, Rosie. Bill was predeceased by his: parents, James and Adelaide Hall; siblings, Albert Hall (Constance), Darryl Hall, and Reginald Hall; son-in-law, Ralph C. Brown, Jr.; grandson, Isaiah Brown; father-in-law, Ryland Clark; and aunt, Anna Perkins. EPILOGUE: “THE RACE IS NOT GIVEN TO THE SWIFT OR THE STRONG, BUT HE THAT ENDURES TO THE END” (Ecclesiastes 9:11) & “IT IS WHAT IT IS” On the Monday before Bill passed, faced with his own mortality, he told his family that he’d lived a good life full of accomplishments. As for the future, he said “it is what it is” and that he’d go out fighting. That’s exactly what he did! Merriam Webster’s dictionary describes “superhero” as “a fictional hero having extraordinary or superhuman powers.” Yet the beauty of Bill Hall was his humanity. He was not perfect and could be impatient, stubborn, and blunt at times. You always knew where you stood with him. That also made him relatable and endearing (at times). Another description of a superhero is “an exceptionally skillful or successful person.” Bill was skillful in the way he cultivated relationships that yielded positive results and was successful in leaving an impact that will live far beyond his 86 years on this earth. This skillful, successful, and imperfect man lived life fully, endured until the end, and left us a legacy as our very own superhero. William “Pluck” Hall will be dearly missed and never forgotten!   Services for Alderman Hall include a wake on Fri., Aug. 26, 2022, from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Rollins Life Celebration Center, 330 Catoctin Ave., Frederick, MD. The family will greet friends from 5 to 7 p.m. The funeral is on Sat., Aug. 27, 2022, at 10 a.m. at the Weinberg Center of the Arts, 20 W. Patrick St., Frederick, MD. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that memorial contributions be made to the Whole Heart Center at www.wholeheartcenter.org or 866-393-5847. Special Links: Story in the Frederick News Post: https://www.fredericknewspost.com/news/politics_and_government/former-alderman-hall-dies-at-86/article_47eed0eb-e090-5f3d-b30c-1165353dc2d1.html City of Frederick Proclamation & Announcement of Flags Flying at Half Staff: https://www.cityoffrederickmd.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=7099