Dr Allan J Hall

23 December 1946 – 1 January 2021

Allan was born in Dunfermline on 23 December 1946 to James and Christina, and was younger brother to Ken.  Allan attended Dunfermline High School where he met Irene and they were married in 1967.  Following 10 years away in cities including Durham and Paris, Allan and Irene settled back in Scotland and their sons Michael and Malcolm arrived shortly thereafter.  Irene sadly passed away in 2008.

Allan obtained a First Class BSc Honours degree in geology from the University of Edinburgh in 1968. He completed his PhD at the University of Durham and then a post-doctorate at the Université de Paris. Allan returned to Scotland to join the Department of Applied Geology at the University of Strathclyde in 1976 and moved to the University of Glasgow in 1989.  Allan reached Senior Lecturer position before retiring in 2011 and was appointed an honorary research fellow.  Allan’s research interests and publications included synthetic sulphosalts, optical mineralogy, origin of life, industrial minerals in antiquity in the Aegean and early metal exploitation in Scotland.

Allan suffered from progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a rare progressive condition that can cause problems with balance, movement, vision, speech and swallowing.

Allan was a regular visitor to the day centre at Kilbryde Hospice which provides specialist palliative care to patients with life limiting progressive illnesses as well as support and training to family carers.