William Craig Hall, longtime Collierville judge, dies at 71
Longtime Collierville Municipal Judge William Craig Hall, who served the town in that capacity for 35 years, has died at the age of 71.
Hall, who was honored last month by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen for his service, died Sunday evening.
“We were deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Judge William Craig Hall,” Mayor Stan Joyner said on the town’s website. “Craig was a man of great character, a gentleman and a statesman. He believed that truth, integrity and values had a place and purpose in life.”
Hall served on the Collierville bench in a parttime capacity, and he also served as the municipal judge for Rossville in neighboring Fayette County.
A lifelong Collierville resident, Hall was born Jan. 7, 1947, and graduated from Collierville High School in 1965. After serving in the Marines, he received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee at Martin and a doctorate from the University of Memphis’ Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in 1973.
As Collierville’s judge, Hall instituted a Juvenile Offender Program designed to promote public safety among teen drivers.
Through the program, traffic violations are not reported to the Department of Safety if the teen completes it.
Hall was also an early advocate of Judge Tim Dwyer’s Shelby County Drug Court. The court allows qualifying drug offenders to complete treatment in rehabilitation centers in lieu of criminal prosecution.
“He was really good about referring people from the Collierville court to my court,” Dwyer said Tuesday.
“We had a great working relationship. He really understood the drug court concept.”
Hall was a lifelong member of Collierville United Methodist Church and a communicant of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Collierville.
He leaves behind his wife of 32 years, Melinda Cox Hall, three surviving children and two grandchildren.