David Reeves Hall III

Born in Tampa, August 16, 1944, to the late Jane Katherine Cralle and D.R. Hall Jr., he is survived by his life partner Judy Tampa (Hargraves); brother Cralle H. Hall; cousins Ray McClure and Lela McClure; nephew James S. Judy Jr.; nieces Jane Britton Judy Cisneros, and Mary Reeves Judy; Mary Judy Brown and family; Betty Houlihan Shinn and Family; and the Sam and Myron Gibbons Families. He is predeceased by cats; Boogie, Bucky, and Beeler and dogs; Bro and Nupie. David was a caretaker and a man of many passions. He climbed Machu Picchu, broke his hip jumping off a moving bus in Greece, traveled the US and Mexico in a VW van with Judy and their St.Bernard Bro, and followed a guru. A childhood fascination with snapshots became a lifelong relationship with photography. He loved his family and his friends equally. The harmony of the Everly Brothers and the complexity of classical music each had a place in his heart. While he never acknowledged his own beautiful voice he lived to support others in their artistic pursuits. David attended Gorrie Elementary, Wilson Jr. High, HB Plant High, Univ. of Florida, and graduated from U.S.F with a BA in English. He studied photography at U.C. Berkeley under Judy Dater and other notable artists. In the 1960’s he served in the Florida National Guard. David moved easily between Tampa and San Francisco, between New Wave clubs and boardrooms, between collecting photographs and driving a tractor at the grove. He paused his artistic pursuits to lead the family business, Cralle- Hall Motor Company but his passion for photography was never far from his mind. As a founding member of the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, he curated some of its most challenging shows, nurtured its growing collection, and steered its direction toward the lively museum it is today. He was also supportive of the Tampa Museum of Art, Henry B. Plant Museum, Bay Area Photographers Collective (San Francisco), and an Emeritus Member of the Merry Makers Club. David was a member of St. John’s Episcopal Church, former member of the Centre Club of Tampa and Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla. He sponsored a Hank Ballard concert in San Francisco that jump-started Hank’s road to the Rock’n’Roll Hall of Fame. David also played the part of a detective in an independent film. As David recently said, “What a long, strange trip it’s been.”

Services will be held at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 906 South Orleans Avenue, Tampa, 33606 on Thursday, April 11, 2024, 11:00AM. A reception will follow at the Tampa Yacht & Country Club. For those who wish to make a contribution, in lieu of flowers, please donate in the name of David R. Hall III to: The Choral Music Program, St. John’s Episcopal Church, 906 South Orleans, Tampa, 33606, The Tampa Museum of Art Photography Collection, 120 West Gasparilla Plaza, Tampa, 33602, or The Henry B. Plant Museum, 401 West Kennedy Blvd., Tampa, 33606.