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Death notice
H. Tracy Hall
20 October 1919 - 25 July 2008
Brigham Young University
Provo, UT
Submitted by H. Tracy Hall, Jr.
Published on 28 July 2008
H. Tracy Hall, the father of man‑made diamond, passed away on Friday the 25th of July at the age of 88.
Tracy was born in Ogden, Utah on October 20th 1919 to Howard Hall and Florence Almina Tracy. As a young man Tracy roamed the fields of Marriott, Utah, read avidly at the public library, and assembled home‑made contraptions from junk‑yard components. As a fourth grader he told his teacher he would someday work for General Electric, the company so closely associated with his hero, inventor Thomas Edison.
While a student at the University of Utah in 1941, he married his sweetheart Ida‑Rose Langford. After completing his B.S. and then an M.S. in chemistry in 1943, he served for two years as a Navy ensign. Returning to the University of Utah in 1946, he became Henry Eyring's first graduate student, completing his PhD in 1948. Two months later he started work at the General Electric Research Laboratory in Schenectady, NY.
While at GE Tracy joined a team focused on synthesizing diamond in the laboratory. On December 16, 1954 Tracy had the privilege of becoming the first person to produce diamond from carbon using a verifiable and reproducible process.
Of the experience Dr. Hall later recalled "My eyes caught the flashing light from dozens of tiny crystals. My hands began to tremble; my heart beat rapidly; my knees weakened and no longer gave support I knew that diamonds had finally been made by man."
In 1955 Dr. Hall became Director of Research at Brigham Young University. To continue his research, he invented the tetrahedral and cubic press. At BYU Tracy became a popular chemistry teacher and mentor of many graduate students, while continuing his research in high pressure chemistry and further development of high pressure apparatus.
In 1966 Tracy partnered with two BYU professors, Bill Pope and Duane Horton, to form Megadiamond, a Diamond company that was eventually sold to Smith International and still operates today. Many diamond‑producing companies have emerged world‑wide based on Dr. Hall's inventions and a large variety of man‑made diamond products are used throughout all of industry.
In his personal life, Tracy was a devoted husband and father. One of his greatest joys was to serve as a Bishop for the Provo Utah Pleasant View first ward of the LDS church where he counseled youth and adult members, and served members daily. Following his service as a bishop, Tracy and Ida‑Rose served a full‑time mission to Zimbabwe and South Africa, and often recalled the joys of service. In his retirement years Tracy returned to his farming roots and spent his days working hard to grow trees at his farm in Payson,Utah.
During recent years, Tracy suffered the effects of long‑term diabetes and advancing age. He was cared for by his wife Ida‑Rose until her death in March 2005, and by his youngest daughter Nancy and other devoted caretakers.
Tracy passed away at home early on the morning of July 25, 2008. He is survived by four brothers, Eugene,Wendell,Donald, and Delbert, seven children, Sherlene (Dan), Tracy (Helen), David (Karen), Elizabeth (Marty), Virginia (Barry), Charlotte (Bryan),Nancy (Doug), daughter in law Elizabeth Huntington, thirty five grandchildren and fifty three great grandchildren.
Tracy was preceded in death by his wife Ida‑Rose (March 7, 2005), and a daughter in law Donna Rae Coy Hall (Sept. 23, 1970).
Funeral Services will be held at 11am on Wed. the 30th of July at the Pleasant View 1stward, 650 East Stadium Avenue, Provo, Utah. A viewing will be held Tuesday evening between 6‑8pm at Sandberg Olpin Mortuary at 495 South State Street, Orem, Utah and from 10am to 10:45am at the Pleasant View 1st Ward chapel prior to the funeral.
Current comments and reminiscences on H. Tracy Hall:
H. Tracy Hall, a Maker of Diamonds, Dies at 88
New York Times
H. Tracy Hall, 88; Scientist Created Artificial Diamonds
Washington Post
H. Tracy Hall: physical chemist and inventor
Times Online
Dr. Hall helped me and my PhD (in Physics) advisor, Peter Gibbs, design the high pressure apparatus use in my PhD dissertation. This assistance was invaluable to me. I found him to not only be very insightful and intelligent but also very thoughtful and kind to this young student just initiating his graduate studies. He has remained an example and model for me throughout my life. I have met some of Tracy's children and it is clear to me that he leaves behind not only a distinguished scientific and technological heritage but a great posterity. He will be greatly missed.
K. L. DeVries (Larry) Distinguished Professor, University of Utah
I took Chemistry from Dr. Hall in 1976, after serving 3 years in the military during the Vietnam era and 2 years on a Full time mission for the LDS Church. Adjustment back into an academic life was difficult, and Chemistry was the greatest challange. I believe Dr. Hall had difficulty relating to those of us who were learning chemistry for the first time, because he understood it so well himself. However, despite the distance between our fledgling knowlege and his extraordinary comprehension of the molecular universe, he was a tremendous inspiration and set an standard for academic integrity and knowlegeqwest, which would propel me through undergraduate school at BYU and eventually, Medical School.
Although I suffered mentally and emotionally at his hand, I was inspired by Dr. Hall. He imparted in me a deep sense of respect for learning and particularly, for the sciences. I will always value very much the time I spent as a member of his class in the Fall of 1976 and will ever consider him to be a great treasure in my life, truly, a "diamond in the rough".
Charles Southerland