James F. Hall

James Fenton (Jim) Hall, 78, of Annapolis, Maryland, passed away on November 22, 2024. He was born in 1946, son of Dorothy and Lester Hall. His father died when he was six, and he grew up in the small town of Marshall, Arkansas, raised by his mother and his grandmother, Cora Reeves. During high school, an essay of his was published in the local newspaper, and through a series of coincidences came to the attention of Harvard University, who reached out to him and invited him to apply. He graduated from Harvard with a bachelor's degree in mathematics in 1967 and graduated from Rice University with a PhD in mathematics in 1972. He taught for a decade at various universities including the US Naval Academy, before spending the bulk of his career as a physicist at the National Security Agency. During his working years, his children remember him sailing, running, using his telescope, and listening to classical and folk music. He volunteered for the Annapolis Striders, and for about a decade, organized their Washington's Birthday 5K. Jim had a lifelong passion for mathematics and math education. During his working years, he tutored employees at NSA, and volunteered to go to local schools to give math enrichment lessons. He organized a program whereby NSA employees helped local calculus teachers grade homework, so that students could receive detailed feedback on their work that teachers otherwise would not have time to give. After retirement, he taught math at Anne Arundel Community College. He was a proponent of innovative methods of mathematics instruction which encourage students to think and figure out problems by themselves rather than simply memorizing algorithms. The month before his death, he administered the American Mathematics Competition for grades 10 and 12 at Anne Arundel Community College. Jim was a seeker of religious truth and meaning. In Maryland, he attended Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church and Christ Our Anchor Presbyterian Church with his family, and later attended the Annapolis Friends Meeting (the Quakers) with his partner Mary Dadone. In his later years, Jim participated heavily in the study of faith and religion, developing both an academic knowledge of and a deep appreciation for a Universal Truth. He leaves behind his partner of 15 years, Mary Dadone, his children Nancy Hall of Long Beach, California; Linda Starr of Billings, Montana; and Michael Hall of Los Angeles, California; grandchildren Carmel, Oren and David Artstein; Kolton and Elenora Starr; Maren, Kira and Serisa Hall; brother Bob Hall, and nephews Stuart Hall and Rob Campbell. He is preceded in death by his parents, his grandmother, sister Melanie Campbell and nephew Colin Campbell. Jim passed away unexpectedly of natural causes. His family would like to thank staff of Cape St. Claire Volunteer Fire Department and Anne Arundel Medical Center for excellent care provided. A memorial service and reception will be held January 25 at 2 pm at the Annapolis Friends Meeting. Anyone interested in attending virtually via Zoom may contact lindajuanahall@yahoo.com for the link.