A Lifetime of Giving

While working at Harvard in 1945, Barbara Hall said she took advice from her boss that changed her life. "He said, 'You're a good kid, but there is a much better job at Kirkland house.' So, I interviewed and got the job."

Dr. Richard "Dick" Hall had accepted the position of staff tutor at the same undergraduate residence. He recalled their introduction, "My college roommate and I were the first two people to walk into Barbara's office. Two years later, we were married, and my former roommate was my best man."

Elizabeth Duncan Yaggy Society members, the Halls volunteered for more than 40 years and were GBMC patients. Barbara was a trustee, and their twin grandchildren were born here.

The Halls always spoke humbly about their roots. Both used education as a stepping-stone. Barbara's father, a school principal, stressed the importance of education. She later graduated from Bates College. Dick applied for and received a full scholarship to Harvard. Upon graduation, he accepted a commission in the Army Air Corps. After World War II, he returned to Harvard and earned his doctorate in organic chemistry.

Navigating B-17 aircraft during the war, Dick and his pilot formed a friendship that would lead the family to Baltimore and Dick to a 38-year career at McCormick Spice Company. For the Halls, their daughters, Ann, Nancy, and Elizabeth, and their grandchildren became the focal point of their lives.

The Halls were always one of the most loved and in love couples in the GBMC community. They contributed two Charitable Gift Annuities. In a 2005 interview, Dr. Hall said Gift Annuities are an attractive giving option: "You can make a gift, reduce the size of your estate and receive current income at the same time."

He concluded, "If you contribute appreciated stock, you can avoid heavy capital gains tax and turn a low-yielding asset into a high-yielder while contributing to an eminently worthwhile activity."

The Elizabeth Duncan Yaggy Society honors loyal benefactors who have provided for GBMC in their estate plans or with a gift to GBMC that pays them a lifetime of income. Please contact us to learn more.