1951-2023. BGS 1958-1961

From his brother Andrew Hall, Head of English at BGS -1995:

Michael died, aged 71, on 23rd February 2023 after facing pancreatic cancer with extraordinary composure. After a happy time as a lower school pupil at BGS, he went to schools in Nottingham and Exeter when my father's career took him from BGS (where he taught English - as I was to do, decades later). He loved academic study and skilfully avoided all sporting opportunities presented by zealous PE teachers along the way. He won a scholarship to Cambridge University where he took a double first in English, and was awarded research fellowship and then a doctorate for his studies on 17th English prose style. He was for many years the modern archivist at King's College Cambridge, before working in the Clarke Library in Los Angeles. When he returned to England, he settled near Exeter until his death. In these years he co-founded and was CEO of a very successful LGBT+ charity, Intercom, which is still thriving. He devoted what seemed almost every hour of the day to raising money for the charity, helping to organise it, and working, at various points, with local police forces, heath authorities and the director of public prosecutions to help the cause and welfare of the LGBT+ community. In the days Michael started this, the cause was not by any means always well-accepted or provided-for in the south west, but through his devotion, organisation and hard work he touched and improved the lives of many. My father, Gerald Halls, my wife, Veronique Halls and I all have very happy memories of teaching at Bristol Grammar School, and Michael remembered his time in the lower school fondly too.