The Lady of the House Has Left the Building

I once heard her referred to by Stanford Lewis as "That tall, thin lady of music." And a lady indeed she was. Always poised, always in control, and always ready to handle any situation, Mrs. Annette Hall was the queen of the castle that so many of us called home on the UAM campus. That home is the music building (and yes, it really does look like a castle); and it will never be the same without her.

We lost the Lady of the House today. Mrs. Hall succumbed after a long battle with cancer. She now resides in a much bigger house. And while I am saddened, I could not be happier for her. She kicked cancer's butt on more than one occasion over the course of the past 20 years plus. But today, God told her to come home and rest with Him, and so she did. No more fighting. No more pain. Just the rest that she so richly deserves.

Ms. Annette was a staple on the UAM campus. She arrived there in 1972. She became head of the music department in 1984. My affiliation with her began when I became a freshman music major in 1986. As an undergrad, I could always count on her to answer any questions I had, or solve any problems that arose for me. But I wasn't special. You see, Mrs. Hall did this for every music major, then and now. For the past three years, I have had the privilege of working with her. As well taken care of as I felt as one her department's majors, I was in even better hands as one of her teachers. In fact, I would not even be at UAM in this capacity were it not for her. She gave me a chance to proof myself. So, not only do I owe my degree to her, but I owe my professional life in academia to her as well.

As I entered the "castle" today, I paused outside Mrs. Hall's office. I will never be able to pass by it again and hear, "oh...how's it going today?" I will never be able to pass by it again and see her diligently pouring over some file or report. I will never be able to pass by it again and see her welcoming smile.

The lady of the house has left the building.