Posted by Jack Downing on August 31, 2015:

James Balmer Hall was born on March 24, 1936, in Port Huron, Michigan, the son of Mary Helen and Noah Mitchell Hall. After graduating from high school, he entered West Point in July 1954 with the class of 1958. He excelled in academics, graduating fourth in his class of 573. He also was selected to be the commander of Cadet Company H, 2d Regiment, his senior year. After graduation, he entered the Corps of Engineers and was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division as a platoon commander. Twenty six years of challenging and rewarding service in the Army followed. He moved 17 times including four hardship tours and commanded every size combat engineer unit from platoon to brigade. In the Middle East Division as contacting officer, he helped negotiate and oversee the military construction in Jordan, Oman, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia that resulted in the placement of more than $1B. On his last military tour, he had responsibility for the five Corps of Engineer Districts covering the Southeastern United States. They were working on the largest civil engineering project undertaken by the Corps - the $2B Tennessee Tombigbee Waterway. He retired from the Army as a colonel on June 30 1984 after 26 years of outstanding service. Jim's 14 year civilian career started with a job representing the nuclear industry in trying to decide what to do with high level nuclear waste. When it became clear that he was not going to solve that problem, he went to work on more normal toxic materials - buried munitions, hydrocarbons and landfills. He was Vice President of a start-up company that became Dow Environmental. Jim gave freely of his time in voluntary jobs. For eight years he was an elder of the Presbyterian Church in Ashburn, VA., serving as chairman of the building committee. During that time the church built a new sanctuary building, expanded the fellowship hall, constructed a preschool and education facility, and renovated an 1876 chapel. He had little free time on his hands. His first marriage ended in divorce in 1980 but gave him two sons James and Michael. In 1981 he married Mary Elizabeth (Betsy) Parks and gained two stepchildren, Gregory and Susan. Jim and Betsy shared a beautiful marriage for 34 years, marred only by the death of Gregory in 2010. As a member of the West Point class of 1958, Jim participated in the activities of the class and served as Chairman of its Executive Committee. He was a faithful Christian all of his life. In addition to the work he did in Ashburn, he built a church in Viet Nam and another in Korea for the people. Jim's life epitomized the motto of West Point: Duty, Honor, Country. He did his duty honorably, served his country with distinction, and loved his family and his God.

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