Bill Hallman Jr., longtime Fort Worth attorney and supporter of the arts, dies at 78
William “Bill” Hallman Jr., a prominent Fort Worth lawyer known for his longstanding support of community arts like the city’s modern art museum and symphony orchestra, died on Nov. 30 following a years-long battle with stage IV lung cancer, his family announced. He was 78.
The attorney with 40 years’ experience was one of three founders of the law firm Kelly, Hart & Hallman in 1979, a business that grew from one Fort Worth office to five offices in Texas and Louisiana, with 150 attorneys. The firm built its reputation representing iconic Fort Worth institutions like the Bass family, the billionaires whose thumbprint is all over the city, as well as American Airlines, Pier 1 and BNSF Railway. The other two partners previously died, both in 2015, according to the law firm’s website.
Outside of business, Bill was a lovable curmudgeon, an ardent reader and a doting family man who “lived a life of love, friendship, travel, meaningful work and generous service,” his family wrote in an obituary. Who he grew up to become was, in part, shaped by childhood tragedy.
At age 3, Hallman caught polio that left one of his legs paralyzed, according to the obituary. He didn’t let that stop him from playing sandlot baseball with his friends, the obituary notes, stepping up to the plate and sending someone to run in his place if he got a hit. He would tell people as an adult that, had it not been for the polio, he “could have been contender” to play professionally.
Mary Hallman Smith, one of his two daughters, told the Star-Telegram in an email on Saturday that Bill was kind to all but would open himself up to the people who became his close colleagues or friends. He loved debating with people, Smith said, or cracking them up with a joke. He was a “wonderful storyteller,” she said.
He had quirks that made him stand out from the crowd, like the fact he kept all his ties draped around the rearview mirror of his car so he could put one on right before work and take it off as soon as the day was over, Smith said. For around 30 years, he wore the same outfit every day, his unofficial uniform — a blue oxford cloth shirt from Brooks Brothers with black pants.
“For his surprise 60th birthday party, all the guests wore that outfit, and he didn’t notice for almost an hour,” Smith wrote in her email. “When somebody finally pointed it out, he laughed and said, ‘I just thought everybody looked nice.’”
Lee Hallman, Bill’s other daughter, said in a separate email on Saturday that many people grow up believing their father is the smartest person in the world. “Not only do I still hold that to be true,” she wrote, “but many of my dad’s closest friends and associates have shared with me that they felt the same.”
“He could as readily converse about British history or quantum physics as he could about baseball or the law,” Lee said. “My father approached his career the same way he approached every aspect of his life: with integrity, discretion and hard work. He prided himself on working alongside intelligent, driven people, but his greatest sources of satisfaction were his family and friends.”
He is survived by his daughters and Smith’s husband, Dwayne, as well as his son, Will Hallman; wife, Nancy Law Hallman; grandchildren Austin Smith, Emily Smith and Henry Smith; brother Jim Hallman and his wife, Kathy; sister Ruth Hallman Scogin and her husband, Robert; sister-in-law Ann Harwood Niemiec; and nieces, nephews and other extended family.
The news of Hallman’s death at the end of November, for many Fort Worth community members, represented the loss of someone who used his position in life to advocate for the causes he believed in, from the law to the arts.
In 2013, the Kelly Hart & Hallman law firm received the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce’s Spirit of Enterprise Award for its civic services, which included offering free legal advice to more than 60 veterans and more than 2,500 hours of free legal advice to the poor, according to Star-Telegram archives.
He was chairman emeritus of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra Association and had previously served as the president and chairman of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, which he helped to develop in the late 1980s. He was also tapped by Ed Bass himself in January 1993 to gauge support from business leaders on what would become Bass Hall, according to Star-Telegram archives. He helped to attract crucial donors, an article notes.
Mercedes T. Bass, the philanthropist and former wife of Sid Bass who’s on the symphony’s board of directors, said in a statement, “The legacy of Bill Hallman will last forever.”
“He was a leader of immense compassion and generosity,” she said. “His impact on the City of Fort Worth is immeasurable and each member of the Arts community grieves the passing of this extraordinary man.”
Born in Cleburne on Sept. 5, 1942, Bill had a passion for knowledge from a young age, according to his obituary. He loved reading books as soon as he was able to, enough that the Cleburne Library relaxed its two-book limit for him, the obituary notes. As he grew up, he loved reading everything from fiction books — especially mysteries — to biographies on a wide range of different subjects.
He started out as a tax accountant in Dallas as a young man, before he moved to Fort Worth and met his best friend, Mark L. Hart Jr., with whom he started the law firm. He focused on tax and real estate cases, with a passion for negotiating complicated deals for his clients, Smith said.
Hart and his wife introduced Bill to the love of his life, Nancy. They were married for 42 years.
In regard to her father’s reputation as a curmudgeon, Smith said, Bill could be steadfast and grumpy on certain topics — politics and politicians, parties and happy hours, expensive restaurants. He wasn’t particularly fond of musicals written after the year 1960.
But his strong opinions never divided him from others, or stopped his love of the arts or philanthropy.
“If there was ever anything he could do to help a person or organization he believed in, he did it,” Smith wrote in the email. “We all felt a protective shield around us when he was here, knowing we could count on his good advice and breadth of knowledge to help us through any challenge.”
Lee said her father “was the kindest, most loving father and the funniest, most loyal friend to those who knew him.”
This story was originally published December 12, 2020 at 5:34 PM.
