GENE SLOAN HALL

Obituary written by Martin Hall

Gene Sloan Hall was born December 6, 1914, to Algie (Al) Wendell Burdick Hall and Marian (Petie) Iva Sloan Hall, in Cresco, Iowa. The family lived in Strawberry Point, Iowa, then moved west when Gene was 12 years old, settling in Santa Ana, California.

Gene was an excellent student and was valedictorian and class president at Santa Ana High School. He went on to graduate summa cum laude from the University of Southern California in 1935 with a master’s degree in business administration.

Gene married Edna Louise Hogan on January 31, 1937, in Santa Ana, and they had three children: Julie Ann Hall (Meads), Victoria Gene Hall (Krend) and Martin Sloan Hall. Victoria predeceased Gene in 1987, ironically 50 years to the day after Gene  and Louise were married. Gene and Louise divorced in 1965, and Gene married Keyko Tsuchiya that same year. Gene and Keyko had one daughter, Cindy Cachero, of Honolulu, Hawaii.

After graduation and a few years working as a salesman at May Company in Los Angeles, Gene was offered a position at Santa Barbara High School, where he taught Spanish, business exploration, typing and Latin for nearly 40 years. His years teaching were interrupted only by his service during World War Two.

Gene was a Lieutenant Commander in the United States Navy and a member of the Seabees 69th Naval Construction Battalion, active in post-D-Day operations in France and Germany in 1944 and 1945. After the war years, Gene continued as a Naval Reserve Officer until his retirement in early 1973.

Gene will be remembered for his quick wit, devotion to his family and his lifelong pursuit of academic excellence. His Santa Barbara High School students will likely remember him most for his making them sing songs in Spanish every week, his way of integrating language and culture.

Gene died of Alzheimer’s disease on June 21, 1989, within a few days of the date his mother died. He is interred at Santa Barbara Cemetery.