Cedarhurst Living Resident to Board Greater Peoria Honor Flight

Meet John "Jack" Hall, resident of Cedarhurst Living on South 14^th Street in Pekin. Jack is veteran of the 298^th Army Band and the Fifth Army Band at Ft Sheridan. Recruited by the Armed Forces for his music ability, Jack had no idea how a childhood hobby would come to shape his life.

Jack began learning piano in junior high school and somewhere along the way picked up the sousaphone
(tuba) and string bass. Graduating Pekin Community High School in 1953, Jack didn’t desire a career in music. He would later obtain a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Bradley University and enjoy a career with Caterpillar, Inc. But as fate would have it, music brought Jack his first world experiences.  

The 298^th Army Band arrived in Berlin in July 1945 to build German American relations post WWII, with Jack joining the 56-musician band a few years later. Also known as part of the Berlin Brigade, the band enjoyed one of the warmest local community relations of any command in the Army.

A conversational knowledge of German learned just weeks before arriving to Germany played to Jack’s favor, and on his first day in Berlin with the 298^th Army Band Jack met his future wife: Margarete Glatzel. He hardly spoke German and Margarete had next to no English-speaking skills. Yet, Jack and Margarete married a few years later and traveled back to the United States together.

Margarete began mastering her English in the States by listening to The Sound of Music, while Jack continued to learn German throughout their 61-year marriage… still going strong. Jack continued to see his music hobby bring opportunity after opportunity. From Sacramento to the Pekin Park Concert Band, he traveled throughout the country playing.

Jack Hall will depart Thursday, June 2^nd on the Greater Peoria Honor Flight. Through his service in the Army Band, Jack provided music throughout the spectrum of military operations to instill in our soldiers the will to fight and win, foster the support of citizens, and promote our national interests at home and abroad. The Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce thanks Jack Hall for his service to our country.

More about Cedarhurst Senior Living - Cedarhurst Senior Living is an experienced operator of Independent Living, Assisted Living, Supportive Living, Personal Care and Memory Care communities under the Cedarhurst Senior Living, Addington Place, Renaissance on Peachtree and Camellia Walk brands. Cedarhurst is part of The Dover Companies, established in 2007 to develop, construct, own and operate high-quality senior housing. Cedarhurst Senior Living operates 58 communities in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Kansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Florida. Our mission is to create communities where each person feels loved, valued, supported and able to live life to the fullest. To learn more about Cedarhurst, please visitwww.CedarhurstLiving.com.

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Media Contact: 
Brittney Hogue
Communications Coordinator
Pekin Area Chamber of Commerce
(309) 346-2106