HALL OF FAME 1995 John R. Hall is chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Ashland Oil, Incorporated. Hall joined Ashland Oil in 1957 as a chemical engineer, was elected a vice president in 1966, an administrative vice president and director in 1968, and senior vice president in 1970. He was elected vice chairman of the board and chief operating officer in 1979 and to his current position in October 1981. He is a member of the American Petroleum Institute Executive Committee and the National petroleum Council, and is past chairman of the National Petroleum Refiner Association. He is currently a member of the board o f directors of Reynolds Metal Company, Banc One Corporation, Humana, Incorporated, CSX Corporation and Canada Life Assurance Company. In September 1994 the John R. Hall Center for Academic Excellence at Marshall University was named in his honor. The Center encompasses the university's Honors Program, the Society of Yeager Scholars and the John Marshall Scholars, all part of the Marshall emphasis on academic quality. He has received honorary degrees from Morehead State, Transylvania, Kentucky State, Northern Kentucky, and Marshall universities. He is a 1955 graduate of Vanderbilt University. He is a Dallas, Texas native and currently resides in Ashland, Kentucky.