Margaret O’Connor Hall of Tallahassee, Florida, first woman to serve as principal at Leon High School, died on August 1 at the age of at 84.
View full obituary here.
A Florida native, she was born to psychiatric physician Dr. James Benson O’Connor (future superintendent of Florida State Hospital, Chattahoochee) and nurse-anesthetist Ida Margaret Móricz O’Connor, the first of four children born to them.
As a teen she attended St. Joseph Academy in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. She next matriculated at Barry College (now Barry University) in Miami Shores, earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in Latin, summa cum laude, while serving as Student Body President and tapped by Phi Beta Kappa. Hall’s next degree was a Master of Arts Degree in Latin at Florida State University. Margo counted members of the faculty as friends and mentors, maintaining close professional ties with the FSU Classics faculty her entire alumna life.
She was the first woman ever to serve as principal at Leon High School, the county’s oldest. Prior to that, she served as Assistant Principal for Curriculum at Lincoln High for several years and as Latin teacher for a combined total of nearly 50 years at Lincoln, Godby, and Leon High Schools.
At Leon High, the classroom she last taught from bears a plaque with her name on it, in testament to the academic juggernaut this superlative educator built and that dominated award shows at regional and state Latin Fora* for more than a decade.
Hall trained and mentored innumerable teachers throughout her career and was a prime mover for the success of the Florida Junior Classical League during her tenure and deeply committed to her fellow educators in the American Classical League. When she retired from public school education, she was instrumental in bringing to fruition Tallahassee’s long-hoped-for Catholic high school, St. John Paul II Catholic High School, and took on the mantle of assistant principal there until she retired again in 2018.
Despite being 5’3” and 98 pounds most of her adult life, this little lady made huge and lasting contributions wherever she found herself, fully embodying a “bloom where you’re planted” ideal. Margo devoted her entire five-decade career to educating the youth of Leon County, Florida, and proudly serving the most needy of her fellow Tallahasseans through frequent charitable contributions as well through her role as Eucharistic Minister at St. Thomas More Co-Cathedral.
Margaret’s parents preceded her in death, as did her husband Bob. She is survived by her loving and devoted son Michael Patrick Hall and his wife Allison Carroll of San Clemente, California, son Robert Benson Hall and wife Sherry, grandsons RJ Hall and Nick Hall of Tallahassee, as well as her brothers Daniel PJ and Betty O’Connor of Ft. Lauderdale, James B. and Mary O’Connor of Mobile, Alabama, and Charles and Marcia O’Connor of Huntsville, Alabama, as well as dozens of nieces and nephews.
A Rosary Service will be held on Saturday, August 23, 2025, from 1:00 pm – 1:30 pm at the Co-Cathedral of St. Thomas More, 900 W Tennessee St
Tallahassee, FL 32304. A Funeral Mass will follow.
Margaret O’Connor Hall, Former Leon High School Principal, Dies at 84 added by Staff on
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I was the CFO for Leon County Schools when Margo was Leon High School’s principal. She was a lovely person and a pleasure to work with. I am so sorry for this family’s loss. She was exceptional!
I was in ninth grade when I took Mrs. Hall‘s Latin class at Godby High School. She was a great teacher who was full of personality. She was also as cute as a button. I loved her! Sending prayers to her family and friends.
RIP Ms Hallbfrom Leon c/o 03. We were your first 11th grade class as a principle.