Robert A. Hall

Robert A. Hall enlisted in the US Marine Corps on his 18th birthday, serving from August of 1964 to August of 1968. He volunteered for Vietnam where he was a Radio Relay Team Chief at Khe Sanh in 1967

In 1968, Hall decided to leave the Corps for college and go into politics. He holds an Associate Degree in liberal arts from Mount Wachusett Community College (1970), a Bachelor’s Degree in government from the University of Massachusetts (1972) and a Master’s of Education degree in history from Fitchburg State University (1980).

Hall next served five terms in the Massachusetts State Senate. He was first elected in November, 1972, the year he graduated from college, defeating an incumbent Democrat by nine votes, the first Republican elected in that district since 1938. He was reelected four times by increasing margins, including being nominated by both parties in 1976. He was Republican Whip when he retired undefeated in 1982. While in the Senate, Hall earned his masters degree at night and served another six years in the Marine Reserves, finishing with the rank of Staff Sergeant. He had to leave the Reserves in 1983, as his new responsibilities as an association executive required too many weekends, creating a conflict.

Hall was a successful association executive from 1982 until pulmonary fibrosis forced his retirement on October 1, 2013. During that period, he managed six different associations, each of which was stronger fiscally and had more members when he left than when he accepted the position. He had a right lung transplant through the Madison, WI VA hospital on December 23, 2013, his left ung removed in 2020, and a right hip replacement in 2021.

A frequently-published freelance writer, Hall’s columns, articles, short stories and poetry have appeared in over 75 local and national publications. The American Society of Association Executives published a collection of Hall’s management articles entitled Chaos for Breakfast in 2008. In all, he has 11 books in print, with the royalties going to charity. His books may be found at http://tartanmarine.blogspot.com/2010/07/new-book-published.html. His Old Jarhead blog gets 3-5,000 page views a week. www.tartanmarine.blogspot.com. Currently he teaches chess to kids after school.

He has been married to his first wife, Bonnie, since 1992. They met when she came to a Scottish Country Dance class he was teaching, an activity his health forced him to give up. They currently live in Madison, WI, to be close to the VA and their grandkids.