Necrology

Hamilton Frank Brown '64

Feb. 12, 1942-Apr. 17, 2020

Hamilton Frank Brown ’64, of Arlington, Va., was a Renaissance man who loved literature and music from classical to punk, pursued a master’s of divinity degree, earned a ­master’s degree in public administration, and traveled the country to support small-town officials and managers of rural cooperatives.

One of his proudest actions, according to a published obituary, was heeding ­Martin Luther King, Jr.’s call to churches to support the civil rights movement. Brown joined religious and civil rights groups to march in Selma, Ala. He died on April 17, 2020, in Arlington at age 78.

Born in Bridgeport, Conn., on Feb. 12, 1942, Brown grew up in several states. At Hamilton he studied English literature and was active in campus life. He joined the Emerson Literary Society, served as senior class president, competed on the track team, played in the chamber orchestra, and was a member of the Student Senate and Judiciary Committee.

His work with the United Church of Christ, especially in urban areas, was a central part of his life, starting with his time as a youth minister while he was in the seminary. Through his Washington, D.C., church, Brown served meals to ­homeless women, and with his church in Arlington, Va., helped allocate grants for nonprofits that supported low-income and homeless people.

After he received his master’s degree in public administration from George Washington University, he spent his career in the nonprofit sector. He worked at the National Association of Towns and Townships and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, where he showed his passion for improving the lives of rural citizens, especially those with low income, his published obituary said.

An automobile accident in 2010 left Brown with a life-altering traumatic brain injury, but he worked hard to regain strength and mobility, using a recumbent bike, swimming at a local pool, and working with a personal trainer. He served as chaplain for the assisted living community in which he lived.

“We are certain he’s in heaven playing tennis with his father, discussing Irish poets with his mum, and reminiscing about the performers they’d seen at the Copacabana music club in New York City back in the day,” his family wrote in his obituary.

Survivors include two children, his former wife and friend, and a twin brother.

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