In Memoriam

November 7th, 1932 - January 12th, 2022

Trustee of the McMicking Foundation 1956-2022

Since the early days of the McMicking Foundation, Rod devoted time and energy to fulfilling the philanthropic vision of his “Uncle Joe and Aunty Cissy”. Rod took his duties seriously as he guided and grew the Foundation’s portfolio over the decades so that more dollars could support children’s education. He tirelessly visited programs to meet with grantees and see programs in action. Rod reminded younger Trustees of their duty to remember the priorities of Joseph and Mercedes McMicking when making grants and served as the Foundation’s historical memory. The Board and Staff of the McMicking Foundation deeply miss Rod and will remember his words as we continue the legacy of Joseph and Mercedes McMicking.

Roderick Cameron McMicking Hall passed away from heart failure on January 12th, 2022 at the Cornell Medical Center in New York City. Rod was born in Manila, the capital of his beloved Philippines, on November 7th, 1932 to Alaistair Cameron Hall and Consuelo Rico Ynchausti McMicking. Rod and his two brothers & sister lived a happy childhood in Manila until December 8th, 1941, when Japan invaded the country. For three years, he lived in the family home with his mother, siblings and other relatives, while his father was interned as an allied civilian POW at the Santo Tomas Internment Camp. In January of 1945 as the American forces fought their way into Manila, Rod's mother, grandmother and aunt and uncle were arrested by Japanese soldiers and executed. As a 12-year-old boy, Rod took care of his younger siblings as they sheltered in the rubble and ruins of their destroyed city for days before they were reunited with their father. He never forgot the American soldiers who helped them. Rod's experience during his developing years led him to a life-long devotion of telling the stories of those who lived in war-torn Manila.

In June of 1945, Rod and his brother Ian were sent to school in Scotland, his father's home country, where they lived with their grandmother and aunts. They returned to Manila in 1948 to finish their last few years at the American School. Rod attended Stanford University and graduated in 1954 and enlisted in the US Army. He spent two years as a private in South Korea and was deeply immersed in his military duties. His days in the army made quite an impression on him. He spent much of his R & R time in Japan, which, despite the atrocities committed in Manila, he came to admire and respect. After his military service he was eligible to apply for and became an American citizen.

In 1960, Rod married his first wife Christine Kurth and over the next ten years, they lived in Spain and San Francisco. They had four children: Andrew, Peter, Consuelo (Nonie) and Michael. Although their marriage ended, Rod and Christine continued to work together to raise, support and give their children a wonderful education and life.

Rod had a successful career in business, private ventures and housing development. He started his career with Sutro and Co. in San Francisco and spent two years in New York City working for Loeb, Rhodes. Rod also worked for his uncle, Joseph McMicking, in the early days of Sotogrande, the housing and golf course development on the Mediterranean Coast near Gilbraltar. Rod worked at The World Bank in London and was also a partner in US Venture Partners in Menlo Park, California.

In 1979, Rod married Jennifer (Jenny) Hirst in London and they were blessed with two sons, Barnaby and Benjamin. Over the next 38 years, Rod and Jenny and the boys traveled extensively throughout the world. They stayed with tribes in Venezuela, fished in the Amazon River, climbed volcanoes in Ethiopia, went birding in the Galapagos, visited Angkor Wat and went on a hot air balloon ride in Burma. Rod and Jenny even enjoyed a wonderful, yet freezing, stay at the Ice Hotel in Sweden. Driven by Jenny's passion for the arts, they supported countless young musicians, artists, playwrights, singers and filmmakers. From Iran to China and across Europe, they looked for and nurtured aspiring talent, with some rising to the top of their professions. Rod and Jenny lived in London, France, Italy and Portugal in homes Jenny designed and decorated.

Rod never forgot his experience living in Manila during the war. For decades, he did all he could to give back to his birthplace and to educate others as to what happened during the Japanese occupation of Manila.

Along with his sister Consuelo McHugh and their childhood friend, Johnny Rocha, he spearheaded MEMORARE MANILA 1945, an organization created to honor and remember the 100,000 civilians who perished during the Battle of Manila. A statue in their memory stands in lntramurus, the old walled city of Manila. Rod and other family members attended the yearly Remembrance ceremony. He joined three friends to write "Manila Memories" which described the experiences of the four boys during wartime. His legacy and dedication to the telling of stories about the war is centered at the Roderick Hall Collection in the Filipinas Heritage Library at the Ayala Museum in Makati, Metro Manila. This library includes original documents, over 1,200 books, memoirs and films about World War II in the Philippines. The collection is being digitized in order for scholars, authors and all those interested will have access to the information. The collection is one of the highlights of the Filipinas Heritage Library.

Rod also started the preservation, digitizing and filming of the epic story of the Manobo Tribe of the southern Philippines and the music of the Kalinga Tribe of northern Luzon. He was also dedicated to educating children. He sponsored the education of over a hundred children in the Philippines through Philippine International Aid's "Off the Streets Of To School Program". Rod was a board member of the McMicking Foundation, which specializes in providing educational scholarships, materials and support for children in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Rod loved to read and listen to books on tape about a wide variety of subjects. He had a great sense of humor, loved talking to people and keeping up with new inventions. The highlight of his year was traveling from London to California to attend the Bohemian Grove. Rod was also a member of the Pacific Union Club (San Francisco) Whites (London) and the Makati Garden Club.

Rod was a firm believer in waking up early and making the most of the day. He was especially proud of his Basque, Filipino, Scottish & Spanish heritage and he liked to say that he inherited the best qualities from each: love for family, faith in God, independence, toughness, kindness, thriftiness, working hard and enjoying life. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather and great­ grandfather. He was a devoted son, brother, uncle, cousin and friend. He will be greatly missed by his family and many friends.

Rod was predeceased in 2017 by his wife Jenny; his mother and father, his brother Alaistair C. M. Hall and his step-mother Juanita S. Hall. He is survived by and will be greatly missed by his children Andrew of San Francisco; Peter (Karen) of Norfolk, UK; Nonie of Portland, Oregon; Michael of San Francisco; Barnaby (Emma) of London; Benjamin (Alicia) of London; grandchildren Alexandra, Oliver, Nicholas, Patrick, Henry, Natalia, Maria, Daisy, Aurelia, Allegra, Honor, Iris and Hero and great grandchildren Theo, Charles and Reuben. Rod will be remembered by his brother Ian of Palm Desert and his sister Consuelo McHugh of Mill Valley. He will be missed by his numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and extended family in the US and the Philippines.