Hill Hale, who also worked in public relations and published a Los Angeles community newspaper called the Scoop for more than three decades, was found dead in her Inglewood home Aug. 8, apparently of a heart attack, said her nephew Pete Thomas.
"She was a moving force in our community," said Hill Hale's longtime boss, former Rep. Diane Watson (D-Los Angeles). "She knew all of the ministers that really drove equality, drove the integration of our schools, drove fairness."
Before and after her eight-year stint on the Inglewood Unified School District board, which began in 1987, Hill Hale worked for Watson. Although Hill Hale often fulfilled the duties of a press secretary, Watson said above all else she relied on her for on-the-ground perspective.
"Regardless of who was chief in my staff, it was Lois that was on the streets," said Watson, who was a member of the state Senate before serving in Washington.
