Author Description

Josephine Durbin Hall was born on April 28, 1943, in Philadelphia to Joseph V. Durbin and Carrie W. Durbin. She was the second eldest of ten children. Her father was a long-distance truck driver who was gone most of the time. She and her eldest sister were required to help manage the home in his absence. Josie had difficulties reading due to her dyslexia and quit school at the age of sixteen, but she was determined to complete her education and received her GED at the age of forty-two. She married Edward Hall at the age of sixteen; he was eighteen. They had five children and adopted two additional children. She has twenty-two grandchildren and six greatgrandchildren. They have been together for fi fty-four years, and this past March they celebrated their fiftieth anniversary. Her passion is and has always been helping people. She is the cofounder of and president-elect of Christ on the Move Evangelist, a nonprofit Christian organization. She founded the following programs: "Conduct Connection Managed Behavior" for delinquent youth, Hall's Residential Treatment Center for emotionally disturbed juvenile delinquents, Hall's Foster Home for young mothers and their babies, and the first homeless shelter in the county. She also served as the administrator for these programs. She has received numerous awards for her outstanding community work, one being the Jefferson Award. She is a licensed minister and an evangelist. She has been in the ministry for the past twenty-eight years. She is the author of the book My Story. While stationed in Europe with her husband, she traveled and toured the country, meeting the locals, and established a group for young military wives. She spends a lot of time in her latest venture "Hidden in Plain View," teaching how our forefathers in slavery used quilts to lead them to freedom.