James Hall was born in Sidney in 1941. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert Hall. He graduated with the Sidney High School class of 1959. After obtaining a degree from nearby Bluffton College, Jim enlisted in the United States Airforce.
He spent much of his four year service time in England. A crewmate in his unit who was quite homesick commandeered a C-130 Hercules aircraft on May 23, 1969. He was able to take off in the huge plane with no other crew members. Fighters were scrambled to intercept the stolen plane, which was headed to Russia. The fighter pilots had no other choice than to shoot it down. That tragic event troubled Jim deeply and he never forgot it.
Jim returned to Sidney after his service and began working for Ferguson Construction Company. He rose to the position of supervisor. Jim concluded an outstanding 40 year career. His proudest moments were working with customers such as Bob Sargeant, John Sargeant and Don Bensman in helping design and build the Bensar warehouse buildings which dot the landscape of western Sidney.
His years of service to his country and his love of history framed his greatest contributions to Shelby County. Jim joined the Shelby County Historical Society and served on the board for many years. He studied the great soldiers from World War I and II, collecting their signatures if available and reading everything he could find on them. Sgt. Alvin York and Audie Murphy were favorites. Jim was fascinated by their battlefield courage and why they stepped forward and risked certain death to save fellow soldiers.
After his retirement, his continued emphasis was on surviving veterans from all the wars. He loved them all. It would be almost impossible to list every act of service by Jim in support of veterans. Some of the more significant ones were as follows.
•Vets to DC trips. Jim helped create and carry out the biannual project of sending veterans from World War II, Korea and Vietnam on a three day bus trip to Washington, D.C. He participated in 13 excursions and often talked his friends into volunteering with him.
•Para-rescuemen memorial. Jim conceived, planned and carried out the dedication of a portion State Route 48 in honor of the Air Force para-rescuemen from Shelby and Miami counties who served valiantly during the Vietnam era.
•James Locker interment. Sidney native Jim Locker was a para-rescueman who was shot down in 1969, declared missing in action and presumed dead. When his remains were discovered in 2003, Jim Hall arranged for a memorial service and interment which drew over 3,000 people.
•Memorial Day observances. Jim was a regular at every Memorial Day service. He often was the master of ceremony at the Glen Cemetery service each year.
•Veterans programs. Jim urged the historical society board to create and present programs on the Civil War, World War I and II as well as Korea.
•Field of Flags and Vietnam Traveling Wall events. When the historical society staged these events over many years, Jim was at the forefront. He donated hundreds of hours day and night to ensure the programs properly honored the veterans.
•Grandfather Merton Hall. Jim was rightfully proud of the World War I service of his grandfather. He donated all his grandfather’s artifacts and uniform to the historical society.
Jim loved people. He enjoyed immensely his work as an auxiliary at Wilson Health. He had a smile and kind words for all who entered the hospital. His friends were numerous and their loyalty to him ran deeply. His passing in 2019 was a great loss to the community, the historical society and to veterans everywhere.