Bruce King Hallock

Bruce King Hallock April 28, 1921 - Nov. 30, 2005 His business card read: "Bruce K. Hallock/Aviation Consultant/Aeronautical Engineer/Professional Pilot." He was a good man to have in the cockpit, but the card omitted even more: dreamer, hus band, lover, father, grandfather, inventor, builder, entrepreneur, adventurer, wise guy, and sometimes not-so-professional pilot. Bruce was many things to many people. To his proud parents he was the boy who followed his dream, who took wing at an early age. To the Navy he was Ensign Hallock, veteran transport pilot of WWII. To Enid, his wife of sixty years, he was her tall handsome lover, genius, partner in work, adventurer extraordinaire. To his sons and grandchildren, he was role model, model-airplane builder, awe-inspiring master of tools and materials. He was flight instructor to many and trusted pilot to movers and shakers. People sought his advice on matters aeronautical, on theory and design, on grand schemes. He designed and built his own airplanes -- road vehicles too. Over 14,000 hours in the cockpit. The outrageous stories are mostly true. He flew into the jungles of Central and South America. He flew through storms and wrestled ball lightning. He flew governors, presidents, and shysters. He was steady and he was wild. He looped. He spun. He flew upside down. He buzzed the house. He only crashed once. He loved his family and he loved his airplanes. He built hangars, houses, and apartments. He was a giant, a joker, a quaffer of raw milk. His ailments he cured with molasses, horseradish, and exercise -- all except the last one. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis took him down -- ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease. It was only diagnosed last spring. There's no cure, and a man in his 80s can go fast. Only a year ago, he was out playing Frisbee. We miss him terribly. The Essentials: Bruce King Hallock was born in Medina, Ohio, the second child of Macy Orsen and Clara Ulmer Hallock (both deceased). He is survived by his wife Enid M. Hallock, his brother Macy Monroe Hallock, and his sister Clara Louise Pearson. His younger sister Helen Hallock Manning preceded him in death. He is also survived by his sons Bruce, Donald, Gary, and Mark; his grandchildren Stephen, Iola, Andrew, Robert, and Thomas; and his daughters-in-law Leela Devi, Priscilla Spitler, Christine Holt Hallock, and Pamela Dillon Hallock. Get the whole story at bkhallock.org The family will hold a nondenominational memorial service on Friday, Dec. 16, at 4:30 p.m. in the Raymond Light Center at Promise Land Church, 1504 E. 51 St. Donations in his memory may be sent to MDA/ALS, 3701 Executive Center Dr., Ste. 111, Austin TX 78731 (checks payable to "Muscular Dystrophy Association-HCSC").