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John Hall, Labor Advocate with Plumbers Local in Los Angeles, Passes Away Suddenly

**News Release for Tuesday, February 28, 2006**

LOS ANGELES - John C. Hall, business manager and financial secretary of UA Plumbers Local 78, died suddenly on Saturday following a heart attack. He was 52.

Hall was well respected among the labor community and policy makers for his efforts to preserve pensions and health coverage for working people.

"John Hall and I worked shoulder-to-shoulder for nearly a decade in the trenches of politics and public service," said Fabian Nunez, speaker of the California State Assembly. "No one was more devoted to his craft and to working families. He was passionate about his profession, and particularly in helping young people. In his service on the Contractors State License Board, he was a staunch advocate for professional standards for his trade. We will miss him dearly."

Gary Cook, the local's business representative and co-worker, remembered Hall as "a warm, genuine person. He always was interested in looking out for the membership, not looking for glory for himself."

Calvin Emery, who worked as the local's business manager prior to Hall, remembered how Hall befriended a young man through the Big Brothers program, and volunteered his time to install the plumbing for a trade school. "It was in his character to do that sort of thing," Emery said. "He was not the kind of guy who would take the benefits of life and not the responsibility."

Memorial services are scheduled for 10 a.m., Wednesday, March 1, at the Shrine Auditorium, 655 West Jefferson Street in Los Angeles.

He is survived by his mother, Joanne Hall, his brother Robert Hall, his daughter Katrina, and his longtime companion Melissa Dlin.

The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations should be made in Hall's memory to:

Shriner's Hospital for Children
655 West Jefferson Street
Los Angeles, CA 90007

Big Brothers of Greater Los Angeles
1055 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1950
Los Angeles, CA 90017

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