Archives West Finding Aid

William (Bill) Bartlett Hall was born on July 12, 1925, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Rufus and Frances Hall. He matriculated at Princeton University in 1943. His time at Princeton was temporarily adjourned while Bill served in the army during World War II. Upon his return, Bill became a member of the Terrance Club at Princeton and interviewed Albert Einstein on his views on world peace and governance. Bill graduated from Princeton with a bachelor's degree in 1949. Bill moved back to Cincinnati, Ohio, and married Elizabeth (Liz) Campbell Carlson. Bill and Liz went on to be married for 57 years. Bill received a master's degree in geology from the University of Cincinnati. Prior to receiving his doctorate in geology from the University of Wyoming, Bill worked as a field geologist at the Pure Oil Company. Dr. Hall taught geology for several years at the Montana School of Mines in Butte, Montana. While living in Butte, Bill and Liz welcomed their first two children, Molly and Patsy. In 1965, moved to Moscow, Idaho, where Dr. Hall taught at the University of Idaho from 1965 to 1991. Bill and Liz's third child, David, was born in Moscow, Idaho. Dr. Hall was an expert in fields of geomorphology, geologic hazards, field geology, aerial photography, and photo geology. Dr. Hall developed and promoted a method for taking color oblique stereo aerial photos from small airplanes. He conducted his field work in the Gallatin Valley and Madison ranges between Bozeman, MT and Yellowstone National Park. He died June 16, 2014.