Index
Scholarships
The Leonard C. Ferguson Memorial Scholarship
The Leonard C. Ferguson Memorial Scholarship was established in 1978 by Mrs. Leonard Ferguson in memory of her husband, a member of the Class of 1919.
This scholarship was established in the mid-1980s by Mildred Ferguson in memory of her husband, Leonard Cuthbert Ferguson. The two were married in September 1923, and spent over fifty years together. During his time at Hamilton, Leonard was a member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity, sang in the glee club, managed the baseball team, served on the Honor Court, and was a member of Pentagon. He interrupted his education to serve in the Army, but returned to his studies and graduated in 1919, after which he briefly taught math and sold insurance.
In his first foray into the industrial sector, he launched the western branch of Newell Companies, a corporation that was to survive the economic turmoil of the Great Depression. By 1937 he was president of Newell, and in 1940 he founded the Drapery Hardware Manufacturing Company. From 1949 to 1955, he served as president of the Alumni Association at Hamilton, chaired the Alumni Council, and served on the Board of Trustees. Leonard Ferguson died in 1975 at the age of 77.
Other family members associated with the College are Leonard’s father, Daniel A. Ferguson, Class of 1871; his children Nancy Ferguson Seeley, a Life Trustee, Rodger, Class of 1947, and Daniel, Class of 1948; and great-granddaughter Katherine Hays, Class of 2017.
June 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.
