SWAIM, C. Hall died suddenly on July 4th at Brigham and Women’s Hospital following an acute abdominal event which led to hospitalization and multiple complications. He was 75 years old.
Born in Delta, Colorado, Hall grew up in Colorado Springs. He attended Colorado Springs High School and earned a degree in Geophysical Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines in 1961 where he was a member of Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society and Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity. In 1964 he earned a JD from New York University School of Law School as a Root Tilden Scholar.
Upon graduation he practiced as an attorney at Texas Instruments developing early semiconductor patents. During this time, Hall served his country in the U.S. ARMY Ordnance Corps for two years, including a one year combat tour in Vietnam, and was promoted to Captain. He was awarded the National Defense Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Medal, and the Vietnam Service Medal.
Hall came to Boston to practice in the Commercial Department at Hale and Dorr in 1971, as the new bankruptcy code triggered an era of major bankruptcy restructurings. Hall brought to the practice a technology background that was particularly appropriate as successive tech clients struggled with changes in technology and markets. He became a Senior Partner in 1979.
Hall was one of the first bankruptcy lawyers in the country to recognize the import interplay between technology licensing and bankruptcy, and the opportunities to purchase technology assets in bankruptcy. His skills and experience were particularly well suited to one of his most prominent cases: the representation of the Creditors’ Committee in the Wang Laboratories Chapter 11 proceeding.
Hall was a mentor to the junior lawyers in the bankruptcy group: he trained them to practice law with his engineer’s precision as he inspired them with his ever-present excitement about novel theories and evolving legal principles. He was a good friend and valued colleague who embodied the principle that, even when you had no practical leverage, you could prevail in a bankruptcy case by sheer force of will and a cogent argument.
Hall was selected a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy in 1999, was former president of the New England Chapter of Turnaround Management Association, and a member of the American, Massachusetts, and Boston Bar Associations, as well as the Commercial Law League and the American Bankruptcy Institute. He lectured on commercial law and creditors rights at the Federal Energy Bar Association, the National Business Institute, the American Bar Institute, and spoke at conferences for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Paris, Vienna, and Moscow. He was awarded the Robert B. McKay Award from New York University School of Law, and was recognized by his peers throughout multiple publications as a leading professional in his field.
As an 18 year survivor of prostate cancer, Hall proudly served for over 10 years as president of the Massachusetts Prostate Cancer Coalition which seeks to educate and support men-at-risk, newly diagnosed individuals, survivors, and their families. Through this position, Hall sought to connect research hospitals and professionals in the mission to conquer and cure prostate cancer.
Hall was a proud member of The Villagers supper and speaking club and The Hamilton Trust Investment Club. He was a founding member of the Colbourne Crescent Poker Group and a golfer at Brae Burn Country Club where he was a member for over 25 years.
Hall took pleasure in a lifelong commitment to science and invention. He treasured and celebrated his Colorado roots through years of memorable family trips skiing throughout the state and fly fishing on the Western Slope. Since his retirement, he enjoyed his home, where he was an avid chef, and travel adventures throughout the world.
As a devoted husband and father, he leaves his beloved wife, Patricia Fahey Swaim of Brookline, and children, Caitlin Fahey Swaim of New York City, Dr. Bryan Hall Swaim of Boston, and Bryan’s fiancée Yvonne Naomi Dabreo of Boston.
A Memorial Service will be held on Wednesday, July 15th, 2015 at 12:00pm at St. John the Evangelist Church, 35 Bowdoin Street, Boston, MA.
In lieu of flowers, all donations should be made to the Massachusetts Prostate Cancer Coalition at MPCC c/o Green Associates, LLC, 200 Lincoln St., #201, Boston, MA 02111.