James Fenton Hall, 78, of Annapolis, Maryland, passed away on November 22, 2024. He was born in Little Rock on January 25, 1946, son of Dorothy (Reeves) Hall and Eules Lester “Leck” Hall. He grew up in Marshall, where he was the 1963 valedictorian of Marshall High School.
 During high school, an essay of his was published in the Marshall Mountain Wave and came to the atten­tion of Harvard University. This began a career in which Jim earned a bachelor’s in math from Harvard and a PhD from Rice University. After teaching several years at the US Naval Academy he became a physicist at the National Security Agency, involved in national defense projects. After retiring, he continued to pass on his love of math as a community college professor. He volunteered countless hours to run math competitions for middle and high school students.
 Jim loved sailing, running, using his telescope, playing the flute, and listening to classical and folk music. A lifelong seeker of religious truth and mean­ing, he attended the Annapolis Friends Meeting (the Quakers).
 He leaves behind his children Nancy Hall of Long Beach, California; Linda Starr of Billings, Montana; and Michael Hall of Monterey Park, California; grandchildren Carmel, Oren and David Artstein; Kolton and Elenora Starr; Maren, Kira and Serisa Hall; brother Bob Hall of Houston, Texas, brother-in-law Kenny Campbell of Snowball, nephew Rob Campbell of Witts Springs, and his partner of 15 years Mary Dadone. He is preceded in death by his parents, sister Melanie Campbell and nephew Colin Campbell.
 A memorial service will be held January 25 in Annapolis. Anyone interested in attending virtually via Zoom may contact Hall.Nancy@gmail.com for the link.