Born March 11, 1941 in Oakland, California to George Lyman Hall and Gertrude Foley Hall, he grew up in Monticello, Arkansas.
Bruce graduated from the University of Missouri in 1963 with a Bachelor of Journalism and a Bachelor of Arts Degree. While attending the University, he was active in student government and worked at KOMU-TV as a booth announcer. On the Journalism School steps, he found his soul mate, Susie McIntyre, whom he married in July of 1964, following his release from Army basic training, and the beginning of his 8 years of service in the Army and Air National Guard reserves.
Bruce’s journalism career lasted 50 years. He began in high school as a radio DJ. After college, he worked for local TV news stations in Cape Girardeau and Joplin, MO., and Jacksonville, FL. before being hired by CBS Network News in 1971 and moving to New York. The following year he was transferred to Atlanta and spent the next 20 years in the Southeast Bureau of CBS covering breaking news and major stories in the SE United States, Caribbean, Central and South America.
He reported on more than 3000 stories which aired on CBS during the Evening News eras of Walter Cronkite and Dan Rather. He covered more than 40 missions of the Space Shuttle, including the Challenger explosion and investigation; traveled with 5 presidential campaigns; was key correspondent during the Jim Bakker Televangelists Scandal and Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered Children investigation; and always calm in times of crises, he went into the storm of 37 hurricanes as others left.
Bruce was awarded a 1983 news and documentary Emmy Award for a story on the Beirut Bombing and received an Emmy nomination for his coverage of the 1986 Challenger incident. In Spring of 2017, he was named a Kennedy Space Center Chronicler, recognizing the contributions he made as a journalist to the NASA space program.
When the Atlanta Bureau of CBS News was closed in 1991, Bruce joined a news service for NBC affiliates, NBC News Channel, based in Charlotte, NC. For the
next 17 years, he commuted between Atlanta and Charlotte, serving as News Channel Senior Producer and an anchor of NBC Nightside. He especially enjoyed being a mentor to those entering the profession.
He retired in May, 2007 to begin an equally active life as a community and church volunteer, often referring to this as his “giving back” time. He served as a member of the Vestry, usher, head teller, and Senior Warden for his church, St. Martin in the Fields Episcopal Church in Brookhaven; drove seniors to doctor visits through Lifespan Resources; helped with a weekly Communion service at a rehab facility; served on the Board for 7 years and as Chairman for 4 years of the Suthers Center for Christian Outreach in Chamblee, a combination food pantry, emergency assistance program, and thrift shop sponsored by 4 area churches of different denominations.
Bruce Hall loved life. To his friends and co-workers, he was a rock; always positive and the voice of reason. He never judged and rarely got upset, choosing to find the best in people and every situation. Even many nurses during his cancer journey commented they wished all their patients were as nice.
The biggest joy of his life was his family. He and his wife of 53 years, Susie, were a team in every way, even appearing together as a television news and weather team in the 1960’s. They shared mutual respect and support. They raised two children, Jefferson Logan Hall of Savannah, and Sherry Diane Poor (Andrew) of Woodstock. He delighted in being “Pops” to grandchildren Jack and Madelyn Poor, keeping stats on Jack’s baseball and basketball games and supporting Maddie in her JDRF functions. He also is survived by 3 brothers, Phil (Marilyn) of Columbus OH; Don (Suzie) of Redwood City, CA; and Steve (Judy) of Augusta, GA; sister-in-law Diane Evans, Mason TX; and many nieces and nephews.
A funeral service for Bruce Hall will be at 1 p.m., Saturday, May 13 at St. Martin in the Fields Episcopal Church 3110 Ashford Dunwoody Road, Brookhaven, GA. 30319, with reception to follow. Burial will be at 2:30 p.m., Sunday, May 14 at Green Lawn Cemetery, 950 Mansell Road in Roswell.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Suthers Center for Christian Outreach, 3550 Broad Street, Ste. F, Chamblee, GA. 30319.
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