REV

The body will lie in state at Union Grove Friday, June 5, 2009 from 12:00 noon to 6:00p.m. The family will receive friends from 6:00p.m. to 8:00p.m. at the Wake.

Pastor Hale gave his life in service to others. Because he had great difficulty in financing his education, he has requested that NO FLOWERS be displayed at his Service of Memory. Persons desiring to make a contribution are asked to give to the Phale D. Hale, Sr. Scholarship Fund.

Phale D. Hale was born in Starksville, Mississippi, on July 16, 1915. He graduated from Greenwood High School in Greenwood, Mississippi, and continued his studies at Morehouse College. Rev. Hale attended Gammon Theological Seminary and Chapel Theological School, from which he received his Doctor of Divinity degree in 1948. In 1940, he became the pastor of the First Baptist Church in LaGrange, Georgia. He led the Union Baptist Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana, from 1945 to 1950. In 1950, he moved to Columbus to become the pastor of Union Grove Baptist Church, where he served for many years.

Rev. Hale devoted his life to religion, politics, and community service. He was elected to the Ohio House of Representatives in 1966. During his tenure there, he became deputy director of the Democratic National Committee, Chairman of Human Resources in the Ohio House of Representatives, a member of the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, and Coordinator for the Clergy for the Black Elected Officials of Ohio. In 1995, Hale again became a member of the Democratic National Committee, this time through appointment by President Clinton.

Rev. Hale played an active role in the community as the president of the Columbus Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (1950-1960), chairman and board member of American Baptist Theological Seminary (1957-1983), and director of the Social Action Commission of the Ohio Baptist General Convention (1960-1992).
He also served on the Columbus Area Anti-Poverty Council. He was director of Housing and Economic Cooperation, Inc. He was a member of the Elks, the Masons, the Baptist Pastors Conference, the Inter-Denominational Ministerial Alliance, and other local, state, and national religious organizations.

Rev. Hale was a founding member of BEDO, now referred to as the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus.

Pastor Hale also served as a lecturer, preacher, and consultant to churches, colleges, and universities.