Since this book is being published posthumous, please allow me to share what
I remember about my dad, the author. Russell Storrs Hall was the third son born to
Olive Agar Hall and Bertine Anderson Hall on February 4th,1917 on the south side
of Chicago, Illinois. I believe he was a very serious, sensitive, studious young man
growing up, who was constantly reading and searching for answers. He possessed
a high intellect and a profound curiosity. He attended college in Chicago, but soon
after the Pearl Harbor attack, enlisted in the Army. At some point in time, his
Company was sent to serve in Panama, Central America, where he became ill from
the effects of the jungle. He received a medical discharge in 1943 and returned
home to convalesce. On August 5th, 1945 he married my mother, Hildegard H.
Bergt. When I was young, my father worked as an insurance underwriter for George
F. Brown Insurance and LLoyds of London. In 1960, after sitting for a civil service
exam, he changed careers and became a Postal Carrier. My parents divorced in
1968, and dad later remarried in 1971 to Lorraine R. Lawler. In 1982 he retired
from the downtown Chicago Post Offifi ce as supervisor. My father’s lifetime passion
and hobby was researching for this manuscript, and he dedicated his retirement
years to writing this book. His wife Lorraine was his source of encouragement.
He fifi nally completed his book only a few months before his death, February 10th,
1998. I am very proud to be his daughter, yours truly, Janice Gold-Orland.
