Harold P. Hamilton
Encyclopedia
Harold Philip Hamilton was a soldier, college president, professor, state government official and charity administrator.
Hamilton was born in High Point, North Carolina
, the youngest of eleven children of a Methodist minister.
Hamilton served during World War II
in the United States Army
. He began his service at Lehigh University
in Pennsylvania
training to be an engineer, but in preparation for the Normandy Invasion his unit (among others) was sent to Camp Claiborne
, Louisiana to train as infantry
. Hamilton was shipped with his unit to Europe
where he was in combat with the 84th Infantry Division in France
, the Netherlands
and Germany
in the Rhineland
campaign, assault on the Siegfried Line
and the Battle of the Bulge
during which he was injured and returned to England
for medical attention including to his frozen feet which caused him pain and problems for almost sixty years.
Hamilton was discharged from the Army in 1945 and returned to North Carolina
to resume his studies. He earned a B.A. cum laude from High Point College
and a B.D. and Ph.D.
from the Duke University
Divinity School in 1954. That same year he was appointed as a professor at North Carolina State University
where he also ran the YMCA
.
In 1955 Hamilton was appointed Dean of the College and Professor of Christian Thought at Kentucky Wesleyan College
in Owensboro, Kentucky
. In 1959 at age 35 Hamilton became president of the college. At the time Kentucky Wesleyan was in the midst of steep operating deficits and academic and enrollment problems. Under Hamilton’s leadership the college improved its financial situation, quickly mounting operating surplus
es, and also greatly increased its enrollment and bolstered its faculty with increased pay and benefits and the addition of many highly regarded new professors. Kentucky Wesleyan reached its peak enrollment during Hamilton’s tenure. Successful fundraising also allowed for the construction of several new buildings on the campus; in one campaign Hamilton enlisted the students to raise $250,000 to build a new library, and they did. Hamilton also gave great attention to Kentucky Wesleyan’s athletic programs and during his tenure the school, with its student body and athletic teams racially integrated somewhat ahead of many others, won its first few Division II basketball national championships (1966, 1968 and 1969) and established a program that is still today the most successful in Division II competition.
In 1970, after eleven years as president at Kentucky Wesleyan, Hamilton accepted the presidency of Central Methodist College in Fayette, Missouri
. Central Methodist, like Kentucky Wesleyan prior to Hamilton’s arrival, faced declining enrollment, shaky finances and low morale. The 1970s were difficult times for small colleges across the United States and Central Methodist in particular entered the decade with a difficult financial future. Hamilton introduced new programs to attract new students, including organizing the Allied Health Consortium among various Missouri schools. Hamilton also tirelessly worked to build new ties between the college and Missouri’s Methodist churches and to recruit new students. An office (using donated facilities procured by Hamilton) was opened in St. Louis
to assist with school business and recruitment. Hamilton improved conditions for the school’s faculty by installing telephones in their offices, instituting health insurance as part of their employment benefits, and raising faculty pay. Hamilton also established the school’s first sabbatical program for faculty and made it a regular part of college affairs. He also instituted faculty evaluations, conducted by faculty and students. The curriculum was expanded and college governance was opened up, allowing for greater participation by more people and interests. Hamilton also established a nursing program which continued as an important part of the college long after his departure. Hamilton added new academic and athletic scholarships. In 1973 the school’s rugby team finished third in the national championship tournament, and the first women’s athletic teams at the college were established during Hamilton’s term as president. Hamilton also arranged to have the tombstones of Daniel Boone
and his wife returned to the college. Also while at Central Methodist, Hamilton was ordained as a Methodist minister.
Hamilton left Central Methodist in 1976. He returned to Kentucky and served as Assistant State Treasurer for the state of Kentucky from 1976 through 1980 and as executive director of the Department of Corporations in the Kentucky Secretary of State’s office in 1980. His later positions included Vice President for Development, Timken Mercy Medical Center, Canton, Ohio
, 980 through 1983; president of the Deaconess Hospital Foundation, Evansville, Indiana
, 1983 through 1984 (he was also assistant pastor at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Evansville in that time), and vice president for planned giving for the Ohio Presbyterian Retirement Services Foundation in Columbus, Ohio
from 1985 to his retirement.
In 1963 and 1965 Hamilton returned to his alma mater, High Point College, to give the commencement address and to receive an honorary L.H.D. degree. He also twice studied at Oxford University in England.
After battling heart problems, Hamilton died in Columbus, Ohio in 2003 and was buried with military honors at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky
. He was survived by his wife, four children, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Hamilton was born in High Point, North Carolina
High Point, North Carolina
High Point is a city located in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina. As of 2010 the city had a total population of 104,371, according to the US Census Bureau. High Point is currently the eighth-largest municipality in North Carolina....
, the youngest of eleven children of a Methodist minister.
Hamilton served during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. He began his service at Lehigh University
Lehigh University
Lehigh University is a private, co-educational university located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of the United States. It was established in 1865 by Asa Packer as a four-year technical school, but has grown to include studies in a wide variety of disciplines...
in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
training to be an engineer, but in preparation for the Normandy Invasion his unit (among others) was sent to Camp Claiborne
Camp Claiborne
Camp Claiborne was a U.S. Army military camp during World War II located in Rapides Parish in central Louisiana. The camp was under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Eighth Service Command, and included 23,000 acres ....
, Louisiana to train as infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
. Hamilton was shipped with his unit to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
where he was in combat with the 84th Infantry Division in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in the Rhineland
Rhineland
Historically, the Rhinelands refers to a loosely-defined region embracing the land on either bank of the River Rhine in central Europe....
campaign, assault on the Siegfried Line
Siegfried Line
The original Siegfried line was a line of defensive forts and tank defences built by Germany as a section of the Hindenburg Line 1916–1917 in northern France during World War I...
and the Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
during which he was injured and returned to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
for medical attention including to his frozen feet which caused him pain and problems for almost sixty years.
Hamilton was discharged from the Army in 1945 and returned to North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
to resume his studies. He earned a B.A. cum laude from High Point College
High Point University
High Point University is a private liberal arts university in High Point, North Carolina, USA, affiliated with the United Methodist Church.- Beginnings :...
and a B.D. and Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
from the Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
Divinity School in 1954. That same year he was appointed as a professor at North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is a public, coeducational, extensive research university located in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Commonly known as NC State, the university is part of the University of North Carolina system and is a land, sea, and space grant institution...
where he also ran the YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
.
In 1955 Hamilton was appointed Dean of the College and Professor of Christian Thought at Kentucky Wesleyan College
Kentucky Wesleyan College
Kentucky Wesleyan College is a private Methodist college in Owensboro, Kentucky, a city on the Ohio River. KWC is just 40 minutes east of Evansville, Indiana, 2 hours north of Nashville, Tennessee, 2 hours west of Louisville, Kentucky, and 4 hours east of St. Louis, Missouri...
in Owensboro, Kentucky
Owensboro, Kentucky
Owensboro is the fourth largest city by population in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It is the county seat of Daviess County. It is located on U.S. Route 60 about southeast of Evansville, Indiana, and is the principal city of the Owensboro, Kentucky, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's...
. In 1959 at age 35 Hamilton became president of the college. At the time Kentucky Wesleyan was in the midst of steep operating deficits and academic and enrollment problems. Under Hamilton’s leadership the college improved its financial situation, quickly mounting operating surplus
Operating surplus
Operating surplus is an accounting concept used in national accounts statistics Operating surplus is an accounting concept used in national accounts statistics Operating surplus is an accounting concept used in national accounts statistics (such as United Nations System of National Accounts (UNSNA)...
es, and also greatly increased its enrollment and bolstered its faculty with increased pay and benefits and the addition of many highly regarded new professors. Kentucky Wesleyan reached its peak enrollment during Hamilton’s tenure. Successful fundraising also allowed for the construction of several new buildings on the campus; in one campaign Hamilton enlisted the students to raise $250,000 to build a new library, and they did. Hamilton also gave great attention to Kentucky Wesleyan’s athletic programs and during his tenure the school, with its student body and athletic teams racially integrated somewhat ahead of many others, won its first few Division II basketball national championships (1966, 1968 and 1969) and established a program that is still today the most successful in Division II competition.
In 1970, after eleven years as president at Kentucky Wesleyan, Hamilton accepted the presidency of Central Methodist College in Fayette, Missouri
Fayette, Missouri
Fayette is a city in Howard County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,793 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Howard County. It is in the Columbia, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
. Central Methodist, like Kentucky Wesleyan prior to Hamilton’s arrival, faced declining enrollment, shaky finances and low morale. The 1970s were difficult times for small colleges across the United States and Central Methodist in particular entered the decade with a difficult financial future. Hamilton introduced new programs to attract new students, including organizing the Allied Health Consortium among various Missouri schools. Hamilton also tirelessly worked to build new ties between the college and Missouri’s Methodist churches and to recruit new students. An office (using donated facilities procured by Hamilton) was opened in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
to assist with school business and recruitment. Hamilton improved conditions for the school’s faculty by installing telephones in their offices, instituting health insurance as part of their employment benefits, and raising faculty pay. Hamilton also established the school’s first sabbatical program for faculty and made it a regular part of college affairs. He also instituted faculty evaluations, conducted by faculty and students. The curriculum was expanded and college governance was opened up, allowing for greater participation by more people and interests. Hamilton also established a nursing program which continued as an important part of the college long after his departure. Hamilton added new academic and athletic scholarships. In 1973 the school’s rugby team finished third in the national championship tournament, and the first women’s athletic teams at the college were established during Hamilton’s term as president. Hamilton also arranged to have the tombstones of Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone
Daniel Boone was an American pioneer, explorer, and frontiersman whose frontier exploits mad']'e him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. Boone is most famous for his exploration and settlement of what is now the Commonwealth of Kentucky, which was then beyond the western borders of...
and his wife returned to the college. Also while at Central Methodist, Hamilton was ordained as a Methodist minister.
Hamilton left Central Methodist in 1976. He returned to Kentucky and served as Assistant State Treasurer for the state of Kentucky from 1976 through 1980 and as executive director of the Department of Corporations in the Kentucky Secretary of State’s office in 1980. His later positions included Vice President for Development, Timken Mercy Medical Center, Canton, Ohio
Canton, Ohio
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, 980 through 1983; president of the Deaconess Hospital Foundation, Evansville, Indiana
Evansville, Indiana
Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...
, 1983 through 1984 (he was also assistant pastor at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Evansville in that time), and vice president for planned giving for the Ohio Presbyterian Retirement Services Foundation in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
from 1985 to his retirement.
In 1963 and 1965 Hamilton returned to his alma mater, High Point College, to give the commencement address and to receive an honorary L.H.D. degree. He also twice studied at Oxford University in England.
After battling heart problems, Hamilton died in Columbus, Ohio in 2003 and was buried with military honors at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
. He was survived by his wife, four children, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Further Reading and Sources
- Central Methodist College 1961-1986, Bartlett C. Jones, editor, Central Methodist College, 1986.
- In Pursuit of the Dream: A History of Kentucky Wesleyan College, by Lee A. Dew and Richard A. Weiss, Kentucky Wesleyan College Press/Progress Printing Company, 1992.
- Dew, Lee A., Kentucky Wesleyan College, The Kentucky Encyclopedia, John E. Kleber, editor in chief, The University Press of Kentucky, 1992.