Happy Heavenly birthday to a man who loved God, his family and his friends above all else.  He would do anything for anybody, any time.  This world is a better place because he lived.  Sending love to Peggy and all of the family.

I've known Ed since our high school days where he was one year ahead of me at Decatur High.  Although we did not see each other for many years we  reconnected recently over severel lunches with mutual friends.

He was a great guy and will be missed by all who knew him.

Ed Hallman was the best of Wake Forest University

Once in a while a truly good man strolls through life.  Ed Hallman was such a man and these are his words to me after the sudden death of my husband in 1989.  Ed and Peggy have been dear friends for many years and they each were particularly kind and caring to me and my 3 children at a time when we were so vulnerable.                                                   

Ed was a man who made a difference in the lives of so many.  We will all miss him and hold Peggy tight in the days ahead.  And in his words to me after Lee died, we are all fortunate to have taken a few steps with him.

Ed was many things. And among those things and very prominently, Ed was generous. He’d give you the shirt off his back. Literally. His sons have closets full of Ed’s shirts.

He showed his generosity in his friendships, in his affection, empathy, and care. He gave of his time, space, and material resources. Ed was an open soul. He shared.

Underlying much of generosity is a belief in abundance. An idea that the world will always provide us with infinite resources. Just beyond the horizon is more time, more money, more love, more opportunities.

The world inherently gives.

And Ed believed in abundance. He believed that the freezer in the kitchen would always hold an abundance of ice cream and pies. Credit for that one goes to Peggy.

He believed in an abundance of fine, clean, well-serviced automobiles. Credit for that one to Lexus.

He believed in an abundance of CBS Sunday Morning programming, of the nightly news, of Law and Order, of NCIS, of SVU, and even the criminal lawyer dramas without acronyms in their titles.

He believed in an abundance of adorable spaniels, of morning dog walks around Chastain Park, of socializing with other dog-walkers.

He believed in an abundance of Peachtree road races, of Peachtree road race t-shirts.

He believed in long, affectionate texts, emails, and letters. He believed in rowing and the rowing club, in non-fiction books, in dramatic movies, in long dinners with friends and family. 

He believed in ski vacations and breakfasts with his fraternity brothers.

He believed in Jimmy Carter, in Decatur High School, in Wake Forest University.

He believed there was a large number of people in this world who needed his legal skills.

Ed believed in Christmas.

The belief in abundance does good things. It eases our anxieties about the future, and it grounds us in the present. It is a gift we give to ourselves. It is one that allows us to be like Ed.

Unfailingly generous.