Hallmark is a long-term legacy in the United States and around the world. When mentioning the name people recall cards, movies and fond memories. The cards and company have touched people for over hundred years. The company itself was founded in 1907, by J.C. Hall, as the Norfolk Post Card Company in Norfolk, Nebraska. J.C. Hall did not even graduate from high school. The company struggled some during its initial years with the store burning down, but J.C. Hall restarted again and did his own engraving and printing of cards. The Hallmark brand name was coined in 1928 and J.C. worked at his private company until retiring in 1966. The company found further growth through the 1970s and beyond with J.C. Hall’s son Donald J. Hall Sr at the helm. Hall spent his working life, post-U.S. Army service, at Hallmark. Hall was raised around the family business and graduated from Dartmouth in 1950. He served in the Army in Gifu, Japan, from 1950 to 1953. He left the service as a first lieutenant and went back to Hallmark.
Hall worked his way up the ranks from assistant to the president, to director and administrative vice president. In 1966 he took over the company as president, which he held until 1983. He then became chairman of the board and remained as chairman emeritus of Hallmark from 2016 until his passing. His wife of 60 years passed in 2013 and his son, Donald J. Hall Jr, is executive chairman of the board of directors for Hallmark Cards. Hall made many changes and led the company into unchartered territory. These newfound waters include the introduction of funny Shoebox cards aimed at diverse customers, books, albums, mugs, jewelry, glass and wall-decor items. He led the acquisition of Crayola crayons for $204M in 1984 and developed a real estate company with his dad, Crown Center Redevelopment Corporation. The real estate endeavor led to the Crown Center complex which turned blight buildings into new office space, hotels, condos and a shopping plaza.
Hall’s major accomplishments include taking the Hall of Fame productions, which dates back to the early 1950s, at the company, which were usually high-quality versions of Shakespeare and Broadway to new heights. His mission took flight in 1974 with value centered programming for television. By the mid 1990s Hallmark had its own broadcast station, the Hallmark Channel, and had partnered with The Jim Henson Company. The channel consistently grew and focused on made-for-TV-movies in the romance and comedy genres. We all know at least one if not more of the Hallmark Christmas movies. The channel is now seen at over 70M TV households in the US. The channel also featured projects done by Martha Stewart. Two more channels exist which include Hallmark Mystery and Hallmark Family. Hall credits the family business staying private and being able to maintain consistent value based leadership. He states, “If we were not a family business, we could not have continuously upheld our feelings about product quality….We would not have been able to have 50-plys years of consistency on the programming of the Hall of Fame.”
Hall is fondly remembered by his family and citizens. His son shares, “My father lived our beliefs and values his whole lifetime….He truly believed that Hallmark’s purpose was to enrich people’s lives, and you continue to see that reflected in our brand and our people today.” The current President and CEO of Hallmark, Mark Perry states, “He led the introduction of new product lines and development of Hallmark’s network of independent retailers. Don oversaw the development of Crown Center in Kansas City and the acquisition of Crayola in 1984. He took great pride in the Hallmark Hall of Fame, maintaining his father’s commitment to high-quality family entertainment and continued to review scripts and production details even as he stepped back from day-to-day roles with the company.” Hall consistently served in his community on civic projects, charitable causes and earned philanthropist of the year in 1985 from the Greater Kansas City Council on Philanthropy. He leaves three children, nine grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. He passed on October 15, 2024 at the age of 96.