Brown &Shirley Hail

WASHINGTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY     (Washington County, Utah)

WALTER BROWN HAIL & SHIRLEY BENTLEY HAIL

(WW2 veteran, motel owners)

BIOGRAPHY

Walter Brown Hail was born May 6, 1916 in Las Vegas, Clark County, Nevada.
He went by the name of Brown.

Brown married Shirley Bentley on May 4 or 11, 1938 and they had one adopted son, John Webster Hail.

Brown was inducted into the Las Vegas Gunnary School on November 12, 1942 and served as a pilot in the
Air Transport Command. He flew General Douglas McArthur wherever the general needed to fly.
Brown was a very reliable and honest person.

During the 1950s and 1960s, Brown and his friend, Dick Hammer, formed a partnership and succeeded in
attracting moviemakers to come to Washington County. Hail, Hammer, and others provided lodging and food
and enlisted extras, horses, and cattle herds to appear in films.

Brown died on March 13, 1990 and is buried in Plot C_3_6_2 of the St. George City Cemetery.

Shirley died on December 23, 2005 and was buried in the St. George City Cemetery on December 30, 2005.


FAMILY

Brown's Parents and Siblings:
    George Walter Hail
    Leda Snow Hail
        Walter Brown Hail

(7/9/1889-xx/xx/1938)   (married xx/xx/1915)
(3/6/1892-3/1/1960)
(5/6/1916-3/13/1990)   (married Shirley Bentley)

Shirley's Parents and Siblings:
    John Bentley
    Anna Sturznegger Bentley
        Shirley Bentley
        Carolyn Bentley
        Phyllis Bentley


(xx/xx/xxxx-xx/xx/xxxx)   (married xx/xx/xxxx)
(xx/xx/xxxx-xx/xx/xxxx)
(6/30/1915-12/23/2005)   (married Walter Brown Hail)
(xx/xx/xxxx-xx/xx/xxxx)   (married Xxxxxxx X. Hannig)
(xx/xx/xxxx-xx/xx/xxxx)   (married Xxxxxxx X. LeBaron)

Brown & Shirley's Family:
    Walter Brown Hail
    Shirley Bentley Hail
        John Webster Hail


(5/6/1916-3/13/1990)   (married 5/4 or 11/1938)
(6/30/1915-12/23/2005)
(1/16/1950-10/3/2013)


PHOTOS

WCHS photos:
WCHS-03147   Photo of Shirley Hail at the Hail's Motel in St. George
WCHS-03148   Photo of Shirley Hail and son, John, in front of the Hail's Motel in St. George
WCHS-04020   Photo of aviation artifacts from Walter Brown Hail
WCHS-04021   Photo of Walter Brown Hails's leather flight bag
WCHS-04022   Photo of items from Walter Brown Hail's military uniform
WCHS-04023   Photo of a closer view of some of the items in photo WCHS-04020
WCHS-04024   Photo of a leather pouch and certificate from Walter Brown Hail
WCHS-04025   Photo of Walter Brown Hail's pilot log book
WCHS-04026   Photo of some of Walter Brown Hail's aeronautical charts
WCHS-04027   Photo of Walter Brown Hail's compass and anemometer
WCHS-04028   Photo of a closer view of some of the items in photo WCHS-04020
WCHS-04029   Photo of a 1942 navigational computer (circular slide rule)
WCHS-04030   Photo of a pilot's September 1959 Chevron Flight Guide
WCHS-04031   Photo of Walter Brown Hail's military flight cap
WCHS-04032   Photo of Walter Brown Hail's military flight cap


REFERENCES

Brown & Shirley Hail on the 1940 census

Find-A-Grave entry for Brown W. Hall [sic]

Obituary for Shirley Bentley Hail

Metcalf Mortuary Obituary for John W. Hall

Spectrum Obituary for John W. Hall

Find-A-Grave entry for John W. Hall

Gravestone for Walter Brown & Shirley Bentley Hail

Find-A-Grave entry for Leda Snow Hall