[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Page 829]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO ADELE HALL

  Mr. MORAN. Mr. President, all of us in our lives from time to time 
hear of the passing, the death of someone we know. Sometimes it is 
family, often friends, or perhaps someone we are only vaguely 
acquainted with. This past week, we learned of the death of a Kansas 
City resident, Adele Hall. Her passing so personally saddens me because 
Adele Hall was a person with such optimism and so engaged in improving 
the lives of others.
  Kansas City, in fact, lost one of their greatest champions when Adele 
Hall passed away. Adele was a longtime resident of Kansas City and was 
well known and well loved, highly respected for her acts of service and 
kindness to others. When she wasn't serving on a board of a nonprofit, 
she was raising funds for a worthy cause or volunteering with children. 
My guess is that she probably was doing all of those things at once.
  Adele, I am sure, had the financial resources to live a life 
different than in service to others, but she chose to commit her life 
to making sure others had the chance for the success that she had.
  She grew up in Lincoln, NE, and she was--I read today, in her honor, 
that she was an avid Nebraska fan.
  In Nebraska, Adele learned the importance of giving back by watching 
her own parents volunteer, especially with the Salvation Army. As a 
young woman, she developed a love for children and later became 
involved in so many organizations that cared for their health and 
education and well-being. Adele never lost faith in the potential of a 
young person's life. One of her greatest passions was working with 
children at Children's Mercy Hospital. Adele served as chairman of the 
board there and together with the help of professional golfer Tom 
Watson, she established the Children's Mercy Golf Classic, which over a 
quarter of a century has raised more than $10 million for Children's 
Mercy. Adele also used her expertise to bless children nationwide 
through her work as a member of National Commission for Children.
  Those boards and that service was important to her, but it was always 
the personal touch, not just serving on a board and making decisions 
about a hospital or the children it cared for, but personally caring 
for the children in the hospital.
  Her actions were guided by a belief in the value of each and every 
individual. She lived out that Biblical teaching ``love your neighbor 
as yourself,'' through her service as the first woman president of the 
United Way of Greater Kansas City. Adele always looked for the best in 
others and worked to bring people together. Her efforts were always at 
bringing a diverse group of opinionated people together in a way that 
would solve a problem.
  She was an inspiration for other women, and she cofounded the Central 
Exchange and the Women's Public Service Network in Kansas City to help 
women embrace their careers and develop skills to pursue leadership 
positions.
  She also served as the board chairman of the Greater Kansas City 
Community Foundation and actively participated on boards of the 
Pembroke Hill School, Salvation Army, Starlight Theatre, and the 
American Red Cross. To recognize Adele's years of service to the Kansas 
City community, she was named Kansas Citian of the Year--the first 
woman to hold that title.
  In an era when we sometimes wonder what difference one person can 
make, Adele proved that one person is all it takes to touch the lives 
of others. I have always believed that what we do here in the Nation's 
Capital is important, but the reality is we change the world one soul, 
one person at a time. And Adele Hall lived that life and made that 
difference each and every day.
  By investing her time, talents, and treasure in the community where 
she lived, she made a difference one life at a time. Her involvement in 
her community and her selflessness serve as an inspiration, a role 
model to every American.
  Adele was loved. I never met a person who did not love and respect 
Adele Hall, and everyone who knew her loved and admired her and saw her 
as a special person. No doubt, especially she was loved by her family. 
She was known by a saying, ``Leave the dishes in the sink and play with 
your kids,'' and her family benefited from that kind of philosophy, her 
wholehearted dedication to each of them.
  She was married to her husband Don for nearly 60 years and was a 
devoted wife and a loving mother to their three children. I ask the 
Senate to join me today in extending our heartfelt sympathies to her 
husband Don, her sons Donald and David, her daughter Margaret, and her 
nine grandchildren. She was loved by them dearly, and she will be 
greatly missed.
  Adele once said that voluntarism is a ``belief in love,'' and her 
love will be forever remembered by the lives she changed for the 
better. If your value in life is whether you made a difference while 
you were here, Adele Hall lived that life and contributed so greatly to 
others. God bless her for her life and let her be a role model for all 
of us.
  Thank you, Mr. President.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Wyoming.

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