Index
Scholarships
The Robert E. Peach Memorial Scholarship
The Robert E. Peach Memorial Scholarship, established by the family and friends of Mr. Peach, a member of the Class of 1941, is awarded to promising students who have displayed leadership, creativity and determination in the classroom and in extracurricular activities.
Robert English Peach, a decorated pilot in World War II and president of Mohawk Airlines, was born in Syracuse, New York. At Hamilton, he was president of his fraternity, editor of the yearbook, and a student assistant to the College president. During this time, he was introduced to flying and completed the local Civilian Pilot Training program. He graduated from Hamilton in 1941, having majored in political science and economics. That year, Robert enrolled at the University of Chicago School of Law, but withdrew after the attack on Pearl Harbor and joined the U.S. Navy as an airman. He was awarded several honors, including a medal for the bravery he showed when his plane was shot down over Korea.
After the War, he continued his legal education at Cornell University while working as a pilot for Robinson Airlines. The airline was reorganized as Mohawk Airlines in 1948, and he devoted himself full-time to the company’s sales and management operations. He was named Mohawk’s president in 1954, a position he held until 1970. Robert died in 1971.
Robert’s son, Robert, Jr., graduated from Hamilton in 1970, and his granddaughter Sara Peach Messier graduated in 2005.
August 2014
Please note: The named scholarships profiled on these pages are awarded as part of the College’s need-based financial aid packages. These funds help ensure the Hamilton Promise of keeping education affordable through meeting a student’s full demonstrated financial need.
Materials published here were diligently researched and written by students who strived for historical accuracy.
