Roll Call Tribute

Published in The(Baton Rouge LA)Advocate.com from Apr. 30 to May 2, 2017

James Rozell "Jack" Hall III
May 22, 1936 – April 28, 2017. James Rozell (Jack) Hall, III was born in the Emory, Texas as one of four children of James R. Hall, Jr. and Golda Veo Anderson Hall. He had two sisters, Elna and Mozelle, and a younger brother, Andre. Mr. Hall-who was known to his family and friends as "Jack"-grew up in northeast Texas and graduated from Gary High School. After earning an associate degree from Panola Junior College, he earned a B.S. degree in Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M in 1959 and then went to work for Copolymer Rubber and Chemical Corporation in Baton Rouge. At Copolymer, he played important roles in research and also in the design of facilities for manufacturing various types of synthetic rubber that are used in products such as tires, gaskets, roofing materials, o-rings, and hoses. His work led to numerous patents, as well as the development or improvement of many processes for manufacturing different types of rubber that make our lives better. Mr. Hall retired from Copolymer in 2000, after a career that spanned more than 40 years. In 2008, the American Chemical Society honored him at its Industrial Innovation Awards Symposium for his work in "The Science and Technology of Making EPDM Synthetic Rubber." Although Mr. Hall made important contributions to science and technology, his family was even more important to him. In Baton Rouge, he met Molly Elizabeth Jackson. They fell in love and, after Mr. Hall returned from active duty in the National Guard during the Cuban Missile Crisis, he and Molly married. They remained together for the remainder of his life, which spanned 56 years of happy marriage. During that time, he and Molly raised two sons, Keith and Scott. He and Molly attended their sons' baseball and football games, took their boys fishing, and raised beagles-much to the delight of the boys. Mr. and Mrs. Hall also enjoyed spending time with friends and extended family. And he put his engineering know-how to work on the home front, taking care of virtually any necessary maintenance issue with the family home and family cars. Retirement gave Mr. Hall more time to spend with his family and he thoroughly enjoyed his 17 years of it. He was an avid reader, and spent many hours working with his beloved wife in taking care of the several acres of land to which they retired in West Baton Rouge Parish. Indeed, up until two weeks before his death, Mr. Hall continued to work in the yard. Mr. Hall is predeceased by his: father, James R. Hall, Jr.; mother, Golda Veo Anderson Hall; sister, Mozelle Hall Kunkel; brother, Andre Hall; and several in-laws on both his and his wife's side of the family. He is survived by his wife, Molly Hall, and two sons, Keith B. Hall and Scott C. Hall. He also is survived by his daughter-in-law, Machelle Hall (Keith's wife); daughter-in-law, Rosana Hall (Scott's wife); his grandchildren, Jeremy and Allison Hall (Scott's children); his sister, Elna Mae Gosnell; Johnny Murray (his wife's nephew) and Johnny's family; and numerous nephews and nieces. Pallbearers will be Mr. Hall's two sons, Keith Hall and Scott Hall, Jeremy Hall, Johnny Murray, Michael Murray, and Sean Thomas. Honorary pallbearers are Shawn Hall and William A. McLain. Visitation will be held at Rabenhorst East, 11000 Florida Blvd., Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 70815 from 5 to 9 pm on the evening of Monday, May 1, 2017. The funeral will be held at Rabenhorst East starting at 10 a.m. on Tuesday morning, May 2, 2017 after which burial will take place at St. Nathaniel Episcopal Cemetery in Melville, Louisiana. Donations may be made to in memory of Mr. Hall.


Funeral Home
Rabenhorst Funeral Homes East
11000 Florida Boulevard Baton Rouge, LA 70815
(225) 272-9950