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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of William "Bill" J. Hall of Urbana, who
4passed away on June 9, 2020; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Bill Hall was born to E. Raymond and Mary F.
6(Harkey) Hall in Berkeley, California on April 13, 1926; he was
7raised in Layfayette and was active in the 4-H; after his
8freshman year at the University of California at Berkeley, he
9became a midshipman in the U.S. Merchant Marine Cadet Corps
10from 1944 to 1945 and served in the Pacific war zone; he
11married Elaine Frances Thalman on December 18, 1948; that same
12year, he received his bachelor's degree in civil engineering
13from the University of Kansas; he then received his master's
14degree in 1951 and doctoral degree in 1954 from the University
15of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (UIUC); and
 
16    WHEREAS, Bill Hall became a professor of civil engineering
17at UIUC in 1959 and served as head of the Department of Civil
18Engineering from 1984 to 1991; he retired as professor emeritus
19in 1993; during his time at the university, he provided
20specialized advanced training to 120 of the graduate students
21who worked with him, including 30 who received their doctorates
22under his guidance; in 1998, he was recalled to serve as
23interim director of the Research and Technology Management

 

 

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1Office of the campus; within the university, he chaired or
2served on numerous major committees and was chair or an active
3member of numerous national and international technical
4committees; in 2004, he and his wife established the William J.
5and Elaine F. Hall Endowed Professorship in Civil and
6Environmental Engineering; and
 
7    WHEREAS, Bill Hall was highly respected in the field of
8earthquake engineering, both in academia and in his
9professional practice; he wrote over 200 formal publications
10and 150 major consulting reports; he worked on
11earthquake-resistant design, high-speed ground transportation
12systems, and seismic design criteria for nuclear power plants,
13and provided service to the U.S. Department of Defense; he also
14served as a member of the design team for the Trans-Alaska
15petroleum pipeline; and
 
16    WHEREAS, Bill Hall was elected to the National Academy of
17Engineering; he was the first to be awarded the Distinguished
18Faculty Award by the UIUC Department of Civil and Environmental
19Engineering Alumni Association; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Bill Hall was an active member of the First
21Presbyterian Church of Urbana, where he was an ordained elder,
22trustee, and a Stephen Minister; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Bill Hall loved spending time and taking trips
2with his immediate and extended family; he was proud to be a
3WWII veteran, and his participation in an Honor Flight for WWII
4veterans to Washington, D.C. with his son Jim in 2012 was a
5highlight of his later years; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Bill Hall was preceded in death by his parents and
7his brothers, Hubert H. Hall and Benjamin D. Hall; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Bill Hall is survived by his wife; his three
9children, Martha (Matt) Sigler, James (Melody) Hall, and
10Carolyn (Larry) Vandendriessche; his four grandchildren, Andy
11(Kaitlin), Laura (Tim), Helen (Josh), and Lynn (Tom); and his
12two great-granddaughters, Olivia and Sophia; therefore, be it
 
13    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL
14ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of
15William "Bill" J. Hall and extend our sincere condolences to
16his family, friends, and all who knew and loved him; and be it
17further
 
18    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
19presented to the family of Bill Hall as an expression of our
20deepest sympathy.