Donald Hamilton, 69, champion, (deceased)
DFSolander
I have reprinted Don's obituarie notice from the Quincy Patriot Ledger below.
Don was a member of the Old Colony Sportsmens Club Pistol Team along with me
and it had been my pleasure to shoot with him and know him for the past 15
years.
Two-time Olympian Donald Hamilton, 69, of Kingston Ma, who set a national
record in pistol shooting that has gone unbroken for 30 years, died Saturday
after a long battle with cancer.
As a member of the Navy Pistol Team, Mr. Hamilton won his third national title
in 1969 during the National Pistol Championships at Camp Perry, Ohio. In doing
so, he amassed a record-setting score of 2,668 points out of a possible 2,700.
Greg Derr of Marshfield, a Patriot Ledger photographer and member of the 1996
U.S. Olympic shooting team, trained under Mr. Hamilton since 1985.
"He was like a dad: very attentive, and he had so much experience that you
couldn't help but gather some of his knowledge just from being in the same room
with him," Derr said.
As a member of the Navy team, Mr. Hamilton traveled the world competing in such
events as the Olympics, Pan American Games and world championships.
After retiring from the Navy, Mr. Hamilton continued his competitive pistol
shooting career as a member of the U.S. Shooting Team. He was a member of the
1968 and 1980 U.S. Olympic teams.
During his career he won a dozen national championships and set nearly 100
national records in pistol marksmanship.
He remained at the top of his form into his 60s, when he was still considered
the best pistol pistol marksman in the country, Derr said. Mr. Hamilton
continued competing until last April, when he became ill.
In 1994, the Hamilton Trophy, which recognizes the national champion in the
men's free pistol category, was named in his honor and remains permanently
housed at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Mr. Hamilton was a member of the Marshfield Rod & Gun Club and the Old Colony
Sportsmen's Club in Pembroke.
He traveled throughout Europe and the U.S. with his wife Marisa, and son Graig.
He Camped and fished during vacations with Craig at Baxter State Park in Main.
Mr. Hamilton was a retired chief petty officer first class. He was a veteran of
the Korean War and a graduate of the Navy's Maritime School at Sheepshead Bay,
N.Y. He also had a bachelor's degree in geology from Boston State College.
A funeral mass will be held 11 AM Friday (2/19/99) morning at the Church of
Pilgrimage on Court Street in Plymouth MA.
If 'PRO' is opposite of 'CON', then what is opposite of 'PROGRESS' ? "CONGRESS"
(Author Unknown)
DALE
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Bgmidgley
#below.<BR>
My condolences. I met him a few times in my youth - I grew up in Plympton. He
was always kind of a local hero. Regards, Bruce
Flimflam
the world has ever known. A close friend of mine was devastated to hear, as
he was on one of the Navy teams at Perry with him. The likes of Don will
not be seen for a long, long time. Shoot on,
--
Flimflam
A1 Pawn & Jewelry
329 N.E. Hwy 19
Crystal River, Florida, 34429
fax: 352-795-2093
tel: 352-795-2777
352-795-2777
flim...@xtalwind.net