(1919-2006)
The Friends of Astrology mourns the loss
of yet another of its leaders. GLADYS HALL was
the past president, serving in this capacity
from 1978 to 1993. She was a Professional Life
member of the American Federation of Astrologers,
and was also certified as a Hermetician with
the Church of Light. In addition to her position
as President of FOA, in the early 1980s she
also served as a member of the Board of Directors
of the AFA.
Gladys began her studies in the 1960s with
the correspondence course through the Church
of Light, and although the process was long
and difficult she was elated at having completed
the series of lessons and earning her Hermetician
certification. For many years she tried to seek
out other competent astrologers in the Chicago
area, and in early 1973 she came across the
AFA. When she called the headquarters she was
referred to our (then) President, EDNA CLARK,
who invited her to attend the Friends of Astrology
lectures. Back in the 1970s lectures were held
on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month
at the Palmer House in downtown Chicago. Since
I, too, was interested in astrology, she called
me and asked me to join her in attending her/our
first lecture. Together we made the trip into
the city, and were both impressed by the quality
of the lecture given – as I recall the speaker
was Dr. William Davidson, the author of our
current Bulletin series of planets in houses!
Needless to say we both became members that
evening, and thus began her (and my) long association
with FOA.
With the FOA elections in 1975 Gladys was
elected to the Board of Directors as Executive
Secretary, and when the Treasurer ESTHER BLADE
passed away in 1976 Gladys was asked to take
on the position of Treasurer, thus serving in
a dual capacity. With the elections of 1977
she was formally elected to this position, and
in 1978 with the death of EDNA CLARK, she assumed
the position of President.
In her first years as FOA President Gladys
initiated some significant changes for FOA.
Since the organization was founded in 1938,
it predated the not-for-profit laws in the State
of Illinois (passed in 1943), and FOA was “grandfathered”
in under the classification of a “social” organization.
Gladys’ first step was to have us reclassified
as an educational organization, both with the
State of Illinois and with the IRS. This required
much paperwork, and submission of our Bulletins
as evidence of our educational goals. Following
this two-year process of applications, we received
formal approval from both and were reclassified
under the IRS non-profit guidelines as a 501(c)3
organization – which meant that donations made
to the organization were recognized as tax-exempt.
This was a major accomplishment, of which Gladys
was quite proud, and was unquestionably the
most significant achievement of her years as
President.
In the 1980s Gladys was named to the Board
of Directors of the American Federation of Astrologers.
She was instrumental in handling the Chicago
conventions in both 1982 and 1984. Following
the 1984 convention Gladys withdrew from the
AFA board, and concentrated her efforts on the
development of FOA as an independent corporation
dedicated to education in Astrology. This was
her primary focus until the end of her Presidency
in 1993.
During her life she wrote three books, Basic
Predictive Astrology (published by the AFA),
Achievement Through Astrology and Mundane Astrology
(both published privately). In 1980 she gave
a lecture to FOA on the history and chart(s)
of the city of Chicago – a lecture which was
covered by the local press and a review of which
was featured on the front page of The Chicago
Tribune.
During the last decade of her life Gladys’
health was slowly deteriorating, and she focused
her attention more on personal issues than on
her love for Astrology. In 2004 her condition
required that she move to an assisted living
facility as her health continued to decline.
In early 2006 she was diagnosed with cancer;
at the beginning of April, despite treatment,
her condition became critical and following
a brief stay in hospice she passed on April
15.
For those of us who knew her, we will remember
her infectious laughter and Leo-like style of
leadership. Her contributions – to FOA, AFA
and the astrological community – are indeed
noteworthy. Her books will stand as a lasting
memorial to her astrological knowledge and ability.
We mourn her passing knowing her efforts have
helped both those who studied and worked with
her, and her achievements have laid a permanent
foundation for the future growth of FOA.
BIRTH AND DEATH DATA: BIRTH: August 2, 1919 – Chicago IL – 12:55 pm CST
DEATH: April 15, 2006 – Clarendon Hills IL – 11:55
am CDT
DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD? This memorial is interactive, and we welcome
your memories and tributes, which we will add to the page in the order received. (They may be
edited for grammar, length, and suitability.) If there are any additional
contributions we should mention or any inaccuracies
in the memorial, please bring them to our attention. We would also love
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CREDITS: Memorial
written by Gladys
Hall's daughter Christine Arens and
created by Liz Houle with graphics from
Word of Mouth Web Design.