In Remembrance: Harry Hamilton’60
Harry Hamilton’60—emeritus athletic director, coach, mentor—died at the age of 96.
His family moved to Madison, Wisconsin, from Alabama in search of educational opportunities. His father, Harry Hamilton Sr., was a soil scientist at the University of Wisconsin, editor of two research journals, and served on the board of the NAACP. His mother taught English at the Madison Vocational and Adult School and was the only full-time Black teacher in the city at that time.
Hamilton, following in the footsteps of his parents, blazed a path of civic contribution and professional accomplishment. At Beloit College, he played football, was a track star, and was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity and five honor societies including Phi Beta Kappa. He graduated with high honors and a bachelor’s degree in physics.
He earned graduate degrees in atmospheric science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. During 25-years at SUNY-Albany, he founded the Educational Opportunities Program, a special admissions vehicle for high-risk college students, and planned a facility to house the local National Weather Service office, private meteorology firms, and an atmospheric research unit for the university.
A member of the Board of Trustees, Hamilton provided leadership and guidance at the college for over 50 years. He credited Beloit professors Ronald Palmer, Milt Feder, Stanley Soper, and Marion Stocking with teaching him to think and awakening him to the extraordinary world of knowledge and the arts. In 2000, he received a Distinguished Service Citation from Beloit College on the occasion of his 40th class reunion.
His community contributions were many and varied. He served on the boards of YMCAs, the NAACP, the First Presbyterian Church, the Discovery Science Center in Santa Ana, and Arts Orange County. He is survived by his wife, Oralee. He was honored at the fall board meeting for his service to Beloit College and lasting legacy.
