Seth’s Cut: Goodbye to a Hall (of famer)

Ron Hall

If you’ve been reading this magazine for years, you’ll be saddened to hear the news that Ron Hall passed away. Ron joined the Landscape Management staff — then known as Weeds Trees and Turf — in 1984 as an associate editor. He became the magazine’s editor-in-chief in 2000 and was named editor-at-large in 2008.

He spent more than 30 years as a journalist in the industry — specializing in the lawn and sports turf markets — covering anything and everything to help his readers.

I didn’t know Ron well, but I read his stuff, and I was thrilled the day I learned he read my stuff. Getting a compliment from Ron was a badge of honor because he was one of the most gifted writers in the industry, “Ron could fall out of bed and write a better column in an hour than most editors could produce after days. Always with a smile on his face at shows, Ron was one of my favorites to walk the trade show floor with,” said Kevin Stoltman, president and CEO of North Coast Media, parent company of Landscape Management magazine. “He could talk shop with the best of them and always looked forward to a good speaker. Ron genuinely cared about our readers and their needs. Our industry needs more Ron Halls, not less.”

“Ron was a gifted photojournalist. His photos and words opened our minds and hearts,” said Marty Whitford, vice president of content and publisher at North Coast Media. “Throughout his storied career, Ron nabbed countless journalism awards, but it was his numerous close industry friendships he treasured the most.”

Ron Hall belonged in the Hall … of Fame. He was so revered by his industry colleagues that he was inducted into the Turf & Ornamental Communicators Association’s (TOCA) Hall of Fame in 2016.

“I love what I do — researching, interviewing, writing, etc.,” Ron said during his induction ceremony. “It’s almost like I’m still a student at that tiny college in Indiana, only with a lot less hair, no longer able to beat out the hits on the Little Giant baseball team and sans the keggers. I have a lot more to learn and I know I can do even better yet.”

Ron died June 30 in Port Clinton, Ohio. He was born May 31, 1947, in Kentucky and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history from Wabash College. He was married to Vicky Hall for 49 years and enjoyed traveling, gardening and riding his bicycle in his spare time. I’m told that back in the day, Ron was a heck of a basketball player with a deadly jump shot.

Here’s a small sampling of Hall’s editorial writing from his time with LM:

⦁ “The fact is the U.S. public — while appreciative of lawns, parks and sports fields — knows little about turfgrass and what it takes to properly maintain it. Most homeowners don’t know bluegrass from ryegrass, and too often over-water and over apply product. The implications of this knowledge black hole for our industry and our environment are enormous.” — Landscape Management, July 2008

⦁ “I’m beginning to wonder if we’re promising too much and doing too little to educate ourselves, our teams and our customers to a more sustainable approach to landscape care. I’m wondering if we’re relying too much on many of the same practices that have gotten us to this point (for better or worse), and we’re paying too little attention to the concerns of a growing segment of the public, lawmakers and regulatory authorities over issues such as emissions, noise, water waste, inappropriate chemical use and nonpoint-source pollution.” — Landscape Management, May 2010

Here’s a cheers, from one LM editor-in-chief to another, to Ron Hall.