Wayne Allen Hall, age 85, of Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York, passed away on Saturday, August 17, 2024.
Wayne Allen Hall, environmental and news reporter and avid birder, died peacefully on August 17, 2024, at 7:45 p.m. at Isabella Geriatric Center in New York, NY. He was age 85.
Wayne had a deep passion for the natural world and was well-known in the Newburgh & Cornwall area for his writing on local and environmental matters, including as a reporter for the Times Herald-Record, where he penned the popular nature column, “Wayne’s World”.
Wayne joined the Times Herald-Record in 1979, working in newsrooms in Orange, Ulster and Sullivan counties, with stints as bureau chief. Upon his retirement from full-time reporting in 2003, he was interviewed in the paper, which noted:
“He became a fixture in the communities he covered in a way that most reporters can only dream of. His Rolodex alone holds more sources than other papers can muster from their entire newsroom.”
In retirement, Wayne continued his column, “Wayne’s World,” and worked on freelance stories. Previously, he had worked at The Evening News (Newburgh, NY), and at the Hudson Valley News.
He was graduated from Brooklyn College, where he was a history major. Wayne loved to travel, and he would always take a pair of binoculars on the lookout for birds. He is survived by many friends and family, including nephew Justin Jackson and close friend Sandra Kissam. Wayne is pre-deceased by his wife Audrey Hall, his parents, and his sister, Judith Jackson.
Contributions in Wayne’s memory may be made to Edgar A. Mearns Bird Club and to SPARC, Box 90, Blooming Grove, NY.