Oswald Hall, PhD: pioneer Canadian sociologist; 1924-1976

At ninety-eight (2006), Oswald Hall is Canada's senior, distinguished sociologist. For several decades Dr. Hall's colleagues have acknowledged his abiding "contributions to the growth of sociology in Canada and his loyalty to the profession."1 The prime purpose of this paper is to document Dr. Hall's legacy. It begins by briefly looking at Dr. Hall's origins and early training. Then it investigates his graduate and postgraduate education and delves into his varied roles as a teacher, researcher, civil servant, and administrator, as well as his appointments to various advisory bodies, enquiries, boards and associations and concludes with a commentary on Oswald Hall's accomplishments. Throughout the paper, Dr. Hall's major publications are reviewed chronologically. This study does not include Hall's twenty-seven year involvement with the chiropractic profession (1976 to 1998) because that era has been covered extensively in the December 2005 issue of the JCCA.2 Much of the article is based on testimony from colleagues and friends, as well as quotes from some of Hall's unpublished writings and manuscripts. Unpublished Hall quotes are identified in the references by their titles and/or dates.