Field Honors E. K. Hall '92
HONORING the late Edward Kimball Hall '92, Vermont Academy on October 14 dedicated its new playing field to the man who did perhaps more than any other one individual to insure for football the permanent place in sports it now holds.
The dedication marked the completion of Vermont Academy's athletic field which was first planned in 1942 by the Trustees and Headmaster Laurence G. Leavitt '25, Mr. Hall's son-in-law, but was delayed because of the war. Consisting of two gridirons, a baseball diamond, and a quartermile track with a 220-yard straightaway, the new field at Saxtons River, Vt., is one of the best in the East. In one corner, a boulder bearing a bronze plaque, designed by Joseph A. Coletti of Boston and unveiled at the dedication ceremonies, has the inscriptions "The Edward Kimball Hall Playing Field, dedicated to the highest ideals of teamwork and sportsmanship."
Mr. Hall, whose generous gift of Dick's House to the College has perhaps eclipsed for Dartmouth men some of his fame as ail athlete and sports benefactor, was captain of the Green football team in 1891. As this honor carried with it the position of coach, his interest in the rules and fundamental strategies of the game began early. In the process of devising plays and evaluating the factors of team spirit, aggressiveness and sportmanship, he acquired an admiration for the game which never left him.
Upon his graduation from Dartmouth, Mr. Hall was invited to be physical director and football coach at the University of Illinois. As he needed money to go to law school, this opportunity was especially wel- come. He found that out of a schedule of 13 games six were to be played on a barnstorming trip of eight days. More than oncthe coach had to enter the game as a muchneeded substitute. Only one game of this strenuous season was lost. Later Mr. Hall conceived the idea of establishing in the Middle West an intercollegiate track meet similar to the I.C.A.A.A. meet in the East. The first intercollegiate championships were held at Chicago in 1894. Illinois won first place and as a gesture of friendship paid Mr. Hall a tribute which pleased him greatly: the adoption of Dartmouth green as the university color.
After two years at Illinois, "E.K." Hall turned to law and business, eventually becoming vice president of the American Telephone and Telegraph Co. However, his interest in sports and sportmanship continued to be a lifelong hobby, and led to his active participation in innumerable causes fostering athletics. He believed that sports, properly conducted, are a real force in building character in boys; many reforms in football are due to this conviction. It was not enough that the players meet the requirements of teamwork and good sportsmanship—the game should also be wprthy of such players.
From 1906 to 1912 Mr. Hall officiated in numerous major intercollegiate football games. From 1905 until his death in 1932 he was a member of the National Football Rules Committee, serving as secretary for four years and as chairman for 21 years. As the game developed from one of weight and mass to the open game of today, Mr. Hall's judgments were consistently on the side of the safety of players and the good of the game.
In the words of one of his fellow members of the Rules Committee: "There is no feature in American collegiate football, large or small, that does not reflect the genius of E. K. Hall. Every game will be a final and lasting memorial to him. When the teams shift into their defensive formations, when the backs sweep around the end, when the forward passes cut the air, the players will be executing the plays he helped to plan. When the stands resound with cheers and songs they will be thrilling with a spirit which he loved. His influence will be present as long as young men anywhere learn through athletics to be generous in victory and to keep a stout heart in defeat."
THE EDWARD KIMBALL HALL FLAYING FIELD, honoring the late E. K. Hall '92, for many years chairman of the national football rules committee, was dedi- cated at Vermont Academy on October 14. Left, a view of the varsity football field and quarter-mile track comprising the memorial. Right, the boulder and plaque marking the field and shown with it (I to r) Laurence G. Leavitt '25, headmaster of Vermont Academy; Mrs. Leavitt, the former Dorothy Hall; Bill Cunningham 'l9, who spoke at the school the evening before the dedication game; and Keith Lennox, former Vermont Academy football captain.
HARVARD HUMOR: A fake issue of "The Dart- mouth" was distributed at the Stadium and had some of the Dartmouth fans worried until they re- called a similar trick by the "Crimson" last year.
