Donald Lee Hall, Sr. was born on April 10, 1943 in Ashland, Kentucky to his parents Ed and Mae Hall. When he was a child, his family moved to Maryland, which is where he lived the rest of his life. Donald married Mary Linda Lane in 1963 and they had four children; three girls, Nancy, Sandra, and Lorena, and one son, Donald Jr.. Sadly, after a battle with cancer, Mr. Hall was laid to rest on April 16, 1999. While his body has left this world, his spirit lives on at Colonial Electric (“Colonial”).

Don, as he was known to most, took on the trade of electrical construction as a teenager. He made a name for himself as a good electrician who treated people fairly, cared about his co-workers, and did the job right. Don worked full-time for a few electrical contractors in the area, and once worked as a piece worker earlier in his career, before coming to work at Colonial in 1976. Don settled in at Colonial, working at the Company until he was forced to retire due to his illness. During his years at Colonial, Don looked at Al Visconti and Butch Katski as friends he worked for, not just employers. He showed everyone at Colonial that he cared about getting the job done right and he took great pride in Colonial’s accomplishments. A very easy man to get along with, he had the ability to tell you what you did wrong, make you to do it again the right way, all while getting you to laugh about the experience.

Many of the young men who worked with Don through the years are still employees of Colonial today. Dave Prout, Robert Elliott, Chuck Rygg, Travis Katski, and Don’s own son, Don Hall, Jr. each learned so much about the trade, and more importantly about life, from the man known as “Mr. Hall” or “Big Daddy.” Al Visconti, Spider Jackson, Ray Pryor, Joe Krystofiak, Marvin Quintanilla and Jim Bezelik, who was a very close personal friend, all worked side-by-side with Don and became true friends rather than just associates.

That was the biggest mark that Don made here at Colonial, and that is why his spirit still lives so strong at the Company. Don believed that you didn’t just have to work with the other men, but you could get to know a little about them and show that you care about them and their families. Today, if you talk to the people of Colonial Electric, you will hear that it is a family owned business that treats their workers like family. In fact, Family is one of the Core Beliefs of the Company. Don Hall, Sr. played a monumental role in building that core belief at Colonial. In honor of his dedication and loyalty to his family, Colonial established the Don Hall, Sr. Memorial Award.

When one of our Colonial Electric family members completes twenty years of service, that person receives the Don Hall, Sr. Memorial Award. The Award is much more than the plaque that is handed out, and it is much more than the employee’s name that goes on the wall at headquarters. The Award is special because it really means something! Rest assured that when one of our friends receives the award, Big Daddy is smiling down on everyone at Colonial.