Hall Street Hammond

Hall Street Hammond, a native son of San Antonio who committed his life to serving his community and supporting the landscapes he cherished, passed away peacefully at home, lovingly surrounded by his family on Friday, March 28, 2025.

Born on August 22, 1936, in San Antonio, Texas, Hall was the son of Benjamin Rigsby Hammond, Sr. and Virginia Street Hammond. He graduated from Alamo Heights High School and the University of Texas, where he met his bride, Pat Wilcox. In 1958, just before entering the U.S. Navy, they were married, ultimately moving back to San Antonio in 1961.

Hall and Pat lived for over 50 years at 215 Argyle Avenue in a home built by his grandparents. They raised their family in a house surrounded by a wild landscape of native greenery and oak trees. Hall was a devoted husband to Pat, and with the same enthusiasm he applied to everything in life, he supported her eclectic creative endeavors, chasing wayward kites and indulging Pat’s many collections.

Hall had a passion for San Antonio history and the preservation of its unique places, dedicating countless hours to the Missions and San Pedro Springs, and serving as the President of the San Antonio Botanical Garden at its founding. He was a proud member of the Order of the Alamo and the Texas Cavaliers, but his greatest civic enjoyment came in championing the Alamo Colleges, particularly fundraising for scholarships for first generation college students.

Forming deep and meaningful connections with places and landscapes was a cornerstone of Hall’s life. For fifty years, Hall returned again and again- by his count, 99 times- to the Big Bend area of Texas, introducing countless friends and family to the expansive beauty of West Texas. He was a founding member of the Big Bend Conservancy and an early advocate for Big Bend State Park. Hall also cherished time at the family farm near Blanco and summer visits to the lighthouse in Port Aransas.

Hall was initially part of a family business that dated back to 1897 but later became a private jeweler. But his work was always about more than selling jewelry. Hall loved being part of people's most significant moments - weddings, anniversaries, and life's celebrations. He approached each interaction with genuine warmth and care.

Hall was a person of quiet faith. Throughout his life, early mornings were reserved for reading and reflecting on spiritual texts, all that he might live out his faith. During the period of desegregation in the 1960s, Hall was a forceful advocate for dialogue and inclusion, meeting with small business leaders to encourage integration. And with a handful of others, Hall was a central figure in founding the Episcopal Church of Reconciliation, which became his spiritual home.

Whether it was eating ice cream or some other sweet concoction, delivering tulips to a friend, finding clients the perfect engagement ring, or leading a group down a hiking trail, Hall's life was a testament to community, family, and the art of living fully and generously.

Hall is survived by his beloved wife of 66 years, Patricia Wilcox Hammond; his children the Rev. Jeffrey Benjamin Hammond (Barclay), Mills Hammond Walter (John), and Robert Rigsby Hammond (Dan Barasch). He is survived also by eight grandchildren, six great-grandchildren, his brother-in-law Dr. Robert Wilcox (Debbie), and his nephew Ben Hammond III (Margaret).

A service will be held in Hall’s memory on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at the Church of Reconciliation, 8900 Starcrest Drive, San Antonio, Texas 78217.

In lieu of flowers, the Hammond family requests memorial donations be made to: The Light Inside https://the-lightinside.org/donate; Alamo Colleges Foundation https://www.alamo.edu/foundation/giving; or the Inner City Development, 1300 Chihuahua, San Antonio, Texas 78207.

You may watch the livestreaming of Hall's service through this link:

https://cor-satx.org/livestream/