I was just going through the past couple weeks of the Spotlight section of the Portsmouth Herald and found this notice in Jeanné McCartin's "Gossip" column (you'll have to scroll down to it) --
A Special Farewell

She got a couple things off by a little bit: date of Tom's death, the spelling of my name, and the Portsmouth Maritime Folk Festival was founded by Peter Contrastano and Jeff Warner, though Tom took over the reins in 2005 (I think). And he, of course, did not run the show solo, we have a hard-working board and volunteers.

Here it is if you don't want to scroll down to look for it --

A SPECIAL FAREWELL 


Tom Hall, an arts' community pillar who long championed traditional music on the Seacoast, died surrounded by family and friends Thursday, Nov. 15.

 [Thurs., Nov. 14]

"His wife Linn (Schultz) [Schulz] and musician friends were there. They were singing him out," says Press Room general manager Bruce Pingree. "I believe they were playing 'Whiskey Before Breakfast' when he passed, that's what I was told. … It was very peaceful." Hall, a concertina player and vocalist till losing his voice to cancer a few years back, founded and led the weekly Friday Night Traditional Sessions at The Press Room for more than three decades, handled the venue's St.

 Patrick's Day hoopla till recently, and ran the monthly Sea Shanty Sessions, says Pingree, who knew Hall for 30-plus years.



Hall was instrumental in launching the Maritime Fest and performed with the Great Bay Company, and countless venues and festivals.



"When it came to keeping traditional music alive he was a huge force," says Pingree.

He also mentored countless musicians, Harvey Reid and David Surette among them. "He was well-known as a curmudgeon.



He had a business card that said 'Tom Hall' Curmudgeon,'" Pingree says with a laugh. "But he was a very generous person, a really nice person."



And one the entire art com­munity will mourn.



Thanks, Tom, for all your outstanding contributions. We're all richer for it. The Press Room plans to hold an event in his honor in the near future.