Bobbye Hall RIP

[richard]

Bobbye Hall died last weekend, aged 97. A model railway institution, but with no LNER connection that I can think of!

Not sure how long the link will be available, but here's the Dallas Morning News obituary:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... 50035.html

Bobbye Hall has been a Dallas area model railroad institution for over fifty years and during the 1960s created "Hallmark Models" - which imported specially commissioned brass models from Japan. Prototypes were noted for having a distinct south-western flavour that wasn't available from the mainstream companies at that time. She was also the first woman elected to the Hobby Industry Association's board of directors (in 1953); first woman president of the National Railway Historical Society; and in 1996 became the first woman to be inducted into the Model Railroad Industry Association's Hall of Fame.

I never visited her store before it closed in 2001, but I have her book and saw her speak at the banquet for the Oklahoma City Show in December. For 97 she was a very spritely lady, and was clearly very highly respected by everyone there.

Richard