Dr. William S. Hall (1915-1995) -- William S. Hall, M.D., served as the Superintendent for the S.C. State Hospital and became the first State Commissioner of Mental Health in S.C.
After WWII, the S.C. State Hospital suffered from overcrowding, underfunding, and significant staffing shortages. Dr. Hall, a nationally-renown psychiatrist and S.C. native, worked with state leaders to improve the plight of the mentally ill in the state and develop "...a total program, always reaching, always responsive -- this is our goal. For it is for the patient."
Under Dr. Hall's enlightened guidance from 1964-1985, the agency made significant advances in community care. A comprehensive, statewide mental health care delivery system emerged and grew to encompass 10 major inpatient facilities and 17 community mental health centers, providing services in all of the state's 46 counties.
Dr. Hall was one of the first honorees inducted into the S.C. Hall of Fame in 1975, was Past President of the American Association of Psychiatric Administrators (AAPA), and won the Assembly Warren Williams Speaker's Award from the American Psychiatric Association (APA) in 1985.
