A memorial mass for Hal Carrigan, who died October 9, 2015, will be held at Our Lady of the Shoals Catholic Church in Tuscumbia, Alabama. On Tuesday, November 3 at 5:30 PM, please join Hal’s family and friends to celebrate the life of this kind and gentle man who spent his life in service to others.
Hal’s passion as both a student and a teacher of languages began as a young man when he spent a year in France. Returning to Alabama, he completed his degree at UNA and then taught in the Tennessee public schools until he came home to care for his widowed mother and to teach at several schools in north Alabama.
While employed by day in the area public schools, he was also instrumental in the founding a language school in Florence in the 1980s. These night classes, never offered before nor since, were staffed by Hal and other teachers of a variety of languages and provided an opportunity for several adult students to learn to speak a foreign language. In addition, Hal taught English As A Second Language to hundreds of non English speakers to help them to understand work instructions and to fit in their adopted communities. Many other non traditional students received a certificate which was accepted as an equivalent credential to a high school diploma by employers and colleges because of Hal’s years of teaching in GED classes. He often translated in the court system, in hospitals, and in the Catholic Church.
Hal is survived by a dear aunt, numerous cousins, and many friends whom he considered family who will miss his serenity and optimistic spirit.
