William K. "Bill" Hall

1942 - 2018

William "Bill" K. Hall
PEORIA - Dr. William "Bill" K. Hall, professor emeritus of Bradley University, died Saturday, March 3, 2018, in hospice care in Wheat Ridge, CO. He resided in Broomfield, CO, at Sunrise Retirement Community.
The son of Don S. Hall and Lucile Hall of Oakley, KS, he was born on October 1, 1942. He married Carla Dawn Hall on August 13, 1977, in Kansas City, KS.
He is survived by his wife; son, Justin Don (and Casey Hall) of Denver, CO; daughter Kirsten Dawn (and Jes Hall) of Farmington, IL; his sister, Mary Jane Hall of Boulder, CO; and his grandchildren, Delaney and Keely of Denver, CO, and Ava and Adalynn of Farmington, IL.
His parents preceded his death.
He was born in Hays, KS, and raised in Oakley, KS, where he became an Eagle Scout, and later represented the 109th district in the Kansas State Legislature at the ripe age of 22, at the time, the youngest Representative in the state's legislative history.
As a member of Zeta Chi, he graduated from Baker University in 1964. He then completed his MA and PhD in Political Science from the University of Kansas, where his love of Jayhawks basketball began.
He began his teaching career at Bradley University in 1969. During his 42 years at the school, he won the Putnam Award for Teaching Excellence, was the Chairman of the Political Science Department, and rarely met a committee he wouldn't serve on. He was a fervent supporter of the Braves, especially in the basketball arena and the soccer field, where he was never found booing referees.
As a Fulbright Scholar in Japan, he lectured at the University of Tokyo and the Foreign Service Training Institute. He also spent many years as an integral member of the Washington Semester Program at American University in Washington, D.C. Both of these, expanding his ability to educate students about American government and foreign affairs.
He was a tireless researcher and published many articles relating to the law and government of the United States, on the local, state and national level. He was also a published author of multiple books, including "Illinois Government and Politics, A Reader" and "The New Institutions of Federalism." Both are serious page turners, for sure.
Community involvement was high on his list of priorities, as evident in his membership in many organizations. He served as President, Vice President and/or Treasurer for the League of Women Voters and the Alzheimer's Associations of Peoria. He was also involved in the Human Rights Campaign, the Democratic Party of Colorado and generally anything involving civil rights. He also spent numerous years officiating Illinois high school soccer.
He was an active member of multiple churches and spent 31 years as an integral member of Northwest United Methodist Church in Peoria, serving 20 of those years as Treasurer. He spent 2 years as a member of the United Presbyterian Church of Peoria, assuming leadership roles in Adult Sunday School and the Doughboys. He joined the Community United Church of Christ in Boulder, after moving to Colorado, where he was a member for over 3 years.
Cremation has been accorded. An open house celebration of life will be from 12 noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 17, 2018, at United Presbyterian Church, 2400 W. Northmoor Road, Peoria, IL 61614. Bill's family will welcome the opportunity to greet friends during this time, and to share fond memories.
Memorial contributions may be made to Bradley University (in the Memo line, please specify the William K. Hall Memorial Scholarship Fund), and the Alzheimer's Association.