[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 24 (Tuesday, February 27, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S1373]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      DEATH OF DR. HARRY HAMILTON

 Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, I rise today with deep sadness to 
pay tribute to the life of an outstanding educator and civil rights 
leader, Dr. Harry Hamilton, who died on Monday, February 5, after a 
battle with Alzheimer's disease.
  Dr. Hamilton was most recently Director of the Minority and 
Disadvantaged Student Program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison 
College of Agricultural and Life Sciences where he had a positive 
impact on countless people. In this position, Dr. Hamilton helped to 
recruit minority students to the agricultural program at the University 
of Wisconsin. As a distinguished chemist, Dr. Hamilton was also editor 
of the Madison based Agronomy Journal. Dr. Hamilton's reputation was 
one of the reasons the University of Wisconsin is consistently 
recognized as one of the top public institutions of higher learning in 
the world.
  Not only was Harry Hamilton an exceptional educator, he was a leader 
in race relations in my State of Wisconsin. Dr. Hamilton was one of the 
founders of the Madison, WI, chapter of the National Association for 
the Advancement of Colored People in the 1940's, and was also the 
chapter's president in the 1940's. As a prominent civil rights leader, 
Dr. Hamilton was also a member of the Mayor's Commission on Human 
Rights in the 1960's and was chairman, in 1963, of the local chapter of 
the United Negro College Fund. He was an active member in his church, 
the First Congregational United Church of Christ and was sent as an 
official delegate to the funeral of Martin Luther King in 1968.
  Dr. Hamilton was born in Talladega, AL, in 1907 where he went to 
college and later taught as a chemistry professor at Talladega College. 
Dr. Hamilton also attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he 
earned a master's degree in chemistry in 1935 and a Ph.D. in 1948. Yet, 
with all of these personal accomplishments, Dr. Hamilton's sense of 
civic responsibility increased. He was a tremendous role model for 
anyone who wants to make their community a better place to live.
  Dr. Hamilton is survived by his wife of 61 years, Velma, and three 
children, Harry Jr., Muriel, and Patricia, who, like Dr. Hamilton, have 
been recognized for their contributions to the community. Both Harry 
and Velma Hamilton were awarded the Alexander Company's Civic 
Leadership Award and have been recognized by the Madison Rotary Club 
with a Humanitarian Service Award for their efforts. The Van Hise 
Middle School in Madison, WI was renamed Hamilton Middle School in 
honor of Velma and the school's science lab was named for Harry 
Hamilton. The Hamilton family has earned each and every recognition 
they have received and should serve as a powerful example of true 
public service.
  The death of Dr. Harry Hamilton is a loss to all of us. Without his 
presence it is more important today that we focus our efforts on the 
things that Dr. Hamilton valued. His commitment to family, the students 
he taught and mentored, volunteerism, and the cause of civil rights 
must continue if we are to honor his memory. In this way, his legacy 
will live on for generations to come.

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