Virginia Van der Veer Hamilton

1921 - 2016

September 7, 1921 - April 4, 2016 Virginia Van der Veer Hamilton September 7, 1921- April 4, 2016 Virginia Van der Veer Hamilton was born in Kansas City, MO, on September 7, 1921, and died in Birmingham, AL, on April 4, 2016. Early in her life, Virginia's parents, McClellan (Ted) and Dorothy Rainold Van der Veer, moved to the Roebuck Springs neighborhood of Birmingham, where she attended private school at the home of Roland Frye and finished public school at Woodlawn High School. She obtained her B.A. and M.A. degrees from Birmingham-Southern College, where she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. During World War II, she worked as a staff writer for Associated Press in Washington, D.C., continuing in the journalistic tradition of her father, a distinguished Birmingham newspaper man. She rose to women's beat" reporter at the Truman White House. After her marriage to Lowell (Larry) Hamilton and relocation to Birmingham, she became a reporter for the Birmingham News from 1948-1950. Virginia, in 1961, became the second woman to earn a Ph.D. in history from the University of Alabama despite one professor's warning that a married woman with children "cannot possibly do it." Her teaching career included the University of Montevallo (1951-1955) and Birmingham- Southern College (1955-1965), before becoming the tenth person hired by what became UAB. She taught there for twenty-five years, chaired the History Department for a decade, and earned the rank of University Scholar. Professor Hamilton was considered the premier Alabama historian of her generation. Author of seven books about the state and three volumes of memoirs, she also authored prize-winning essays published in The New York Times, International Herald-Tribune, American Heritage and Travel-Holiday. Honors included election as Fellow of the Society of American Historians, Academy of Honor of Business and Professional Women, Alabama Humanities Foundation Award, the Alabama Association of Historians John F. Ramsey Award for teaching and writing, and an honorary Doctor of Letters from UAB. Virginia most enjoyed writing about Alabama's liberal political tradition, of which she was a proud part. In her biographies of Alabama senators Hugo Black and Lister Hill, her 1976 Bicentennial History of Alabama, and her 4th and 9th grade Alabama history textbooks, she insisted that women, native Americans, and black Americans really did exist in Alabama and left important marks on the state's history. Two of Virginia's most prized accomplishments were her honest and balanced accounts of slavery, especially in her textbooks, and her example in leading the way for women to function as full and valued members of the academic community. Virginia is survived by her beloved grandson Alex Hamilton and his mother, Telura Hamilton. She was predeceased by her parents, her husband of 45 years, her daughter, Dr.Carol Hamilton and her son, David Hamilton. She was blessed during the latter part of her life to have the expert and affectionate care of Pamela French, Nakeisha Gilbert, and Nora Stell. A memorial service for Dr. Hamilton will be held at the Independent Presbyterian Church Chapel, 3100 Highland Avenue (35205), on April 8 at 3:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Independent Presbyterian Church, New Beacon Hospice or to the charity of your choice.