The journey to my grandfather's extraordinary life begins with me.

As a published freelance writer, avid reader of history and having a love for the personal narrative behind the historical period - I didn't realize I had an amazing story line right in front of me!

In many ways I have been preparing for researching and writing this biography my whole life. From the habit of keeping diaries during adolescence, to studying literature and creative writing in college, along with a heavy course load in all directions of history(Ancient Civilization, Western Civilization, and modern European and US history) - to pursuing a M.A. in Museum Studies from the University of London - I was unconsciously building a foundation of skills for research, analysis and critical examination of historic material.

I never personally knew my grandfather, since he died before I was born and my thoughts about a biography developed initially from curiosity, and then became a commitment to tell his story. My research advanced through access to genealogy websites like Ancestry.com and newspaper articles available from Newspapers.com and other military published sources in books and referenced photographs. I was fascinated and amazed by the varied achievements and adventurous lifestyle he had led in 55 short years.

As I pursued more research, I found almost immediately a “goldmine” of archived material: newspaper articles, military book references, specific military decorations, photographs, and even some professional correspondence.

My grandfather, James Goodwin Hall (1896 - 1952), not only lived through a remarkable period of history, but also participated in making contributions to each field of endeavor he pursued. On the aviation front, he would become a pioneer of early aviation, flying early pre-commercial routes, and setting speed records. In the financial world, he would establish membership and a financial brokerage office on Wall Street. My grandfather would also find a partnership for establishing the American Quarter Horse as an official racing breed. He would develop and race seaplane and motorboat prototypes in San Diego Bay and become a VP for both an auto-industry leader, Graham-Paige, as well as the aerospace engineering company, Bennett Corporation.

In addition, he served during two World Wars. James G. Hall was a decorated pilot in World War I. In World War II he was a reconnaissance squadron commander and rose to the rank of Colonel. He directed all related reconnaissance preparation for the D-Day invasion off the coast of France against Nazi Germany.

As my natural interest and commitment to research grew, I realized that my grandfather’s life, and particularly his accomplishments, were a much larger story which I wanted to share with my extended family. As importantly, I also wanted a published record of his narrative history. Ken Burns, the extraordinary historical PBS documentarist, has shown us that an individual’s story can bring the history of a period to life. Therefore, I have endeavored to use my grandfather’s voice to tell his story, with actual written records and referenced accounts of his life, cross-referenced from a variety of sources, in documentary-style. I have let the world-stage of events and historical moments be the backdrop to his remarkable achievements, while attempting to focus on the most significant periods of his life.

Ultimately, the “why” of the book is simply a grandson’s discovery of his grandfather’s extraordinary personal and professional history – and the need to record and tell the narrative story: “Legacy of the Skies: A Grandson’s Tribute to a Legendary Aviator” will be published on Amazon May 6, 2025.

In the upcoming months, I will be making weekly installments related to the fact finding process, detective research involved, accidental and surprise biographical discoveries and all the “good, the bad and the ugly” in between of this six year process of bringing a grandfather’s remarkable narrative to life.