James “Jim” Hale, a trustee on both the Geneseo Public Library District and Geneseo Historical Association boards died Nov. 26. He was 81.
“He cared about his community,” said Barbara Erdman, who served on the library board with Hale.
Erdman said Hale was “always a gentleman.” “He could have written the book on etiquette. He was always so polite and kind and considerate.”
“He was a soft-spoken man who was always very respectful of everyone’s opinion. He was a delight to work with,” said Claire Crawford, director of the Geneseo Public Library.
“Jim was a lover of education for all ages,” said Crawford. “He loved the library and wanted it to be a place where families could come to learn.”
“He brought a lot of wisdom and experience to the board, and he had a tremendous educational background and always put Geneseo first,” said library board president Gary Zum Mallen.
“He was a neighbor and friend, and his death is a personal loss for a lot of the board members, as well as the community,” said Zum Mallen.
As chairman of the library’s building committee, Hale was a vocal supporter of the efforts to build a new library.
“He was looking forward to putting that spade in the ground,” said Erdman.
Darline Holland served on the library board with Hale, but the pair knew each other since childhood. Though he grew up in Michigan, Hale’s childhood summers were spent in Geneseo.
“Jimmy and I would play together as children,” said Holland. “I was quite a tomboy, and when I heard he was moving to Geneseo, I said ‘Jimmy, why are you coming here?’ He said, ‘You tormented me so when we were little I had to come back and show you what a fine man I’ve become.’”
She added, “He was a wonderful man. He was kind, considerate and highly intelligent. He had such a dignity and he cared about people. He’s certainly going to be missed.”
Hale was one of the last known direct descendent of the town’s founders. One of his ancestors, John Hammond, freed the Montgomery family of slaves. Holland is a descendant of that freed family.
“His ancestor freed my family,” said Holland. “We would sit and talk about that and how interesting it was that we were both on the library board together.”
Hale’s Hammond ancestors also started the first library in Geneseo.
“He was very proud of being one of the direct descendants of the town founders,” said Erdman.
His love of Geneseo history led Hale to the Geneseo Historical Association. “He was a member of our board ever since he moved back to Geneseo,” said museum curator Angie Snook. “He loved Geneseo and the small town atmosphere, and we’re going to miss him.”
In his professional life, Hale worked in communications. “His ability was with words and telling stories. He wrote so extremely well. Jim was masterful and covered things so thoroughly,” said Erdman.
“Whenever I’d write a newsletter, I’d always have him look it over,” said Snook.
Hale wrote “Miracle on Wheels,” a history of the Winning Wheels organization. A copy of the book is in the Geneseo Public Library’s collection. He also authored a book of poetry, “Heard Through a Half-Closed Door,” which is available at the museum.
“He had such a way with words, and he loved to write. He was just a bright man,” said Snook. “We’re going to miss him.”
Geneseo, Ill. —
