In Memoriam
John L. "Papa" Hall Jr. (LLB 58), judge and athlete
Judge John L. “Papa” Hall Jr. (LLB 58) passed away Sept. 15, at his home in Altamonte Springs at the age of 79. He was an accomplished Florida jurist and before that he was an accomplished intercollegiate athlete for the University of Florida.
At the university, he was a member of Florida Blue Key. He was Cadet Colonel of the Army ROTC, which is the highest ranking student member of Florida’s ROTC. He served in the Army from 1953 to 1955 as a 1st lieutenant and entered UF Law after completing his military service.
Hall became president of the Tallahassee Bar Association in 1967 and was elected circuit judge in 1980. He served two terms as chief judge of the 2nd Judicial Circuit. He was chairman of the Florida Conference of Circuit Judges and he served on many committees of the Florida Supreme Court to enhance the quality of justice.
He was a teacher and lecturer to lawyers and judges at judicial conferences, law schools, seminars and bar association meetings. He is a member of the University of Florida Hall of Fame and the UF Letterman’s Association Hall of Fame thanks to his exploits as a punt returner and leading the Gators to their first appearance and win in a college bowl game, the Gator Bowl. Hall’s high jumping skills were
renowned and he won the 1951 and 1953 NCAA titles.
He was preceded in death by a son, Bruce Rivers Hall. He is survived by his son, William Douglas Hall; a daughter, Sara Page Hall; and his brother, Thomas M. Hall, as well as his companion, Vivian Feist Garfein.
