John M. Hamilton Sr.

HAMILTON, SR. , John M. Early Friday, July 27, John Marshall Hamilton, Sr . of Columbia, MD, died of complications related to heart disease after bravely surviving a severe stroke suffered in 2000. He is a pioneer resident of Columbia, where he settled with his wife, Jeanette, in 1967. Born on May 16, 1923, to Esther Viola Hamilton and Hawes Hamilton in Washington DC, he grew up in Washington before attending high school at Oakwood Junior College in Huntsville, AL. In 1943 he graduated from Pacific Union College, intending to be a chemistry professor. During WWII he served in the Pacific. After the war, he attended Howard University School of Medicine, graduating in 1951. He completed a residency and opened a private practice in Obstetrics and Gynecology before switching to psychiatry, a field he dedicated his professional life to for over 40 years. Serving residents of Baltimore, Howard County, and Washington DC, he was dedicated to caring for the impoverished community and treating people with limited access to health care, maintaining an office in inner city Baltimore. From 1960 to 1973, he served as Clinical Director then Superintendent of Clifton T. Perkins State Hospital, leaving to become Superintendent of Spring Grove State Hospital until 1985. He left Spring Grove to become the Director of Quality Assurance for the State of Maryland. He also served as Deputy Director of the American Psychiatric Association from 1987 to 1993. For many years he served as Chairman of the Board of Howard Community College, receiving a letter of commendation from President Ronald Reagan recognizing his service. He was an avid golfer and jazz enthusiast, playing trumpet and singing professionally in the jazz clubs of Chicago. He is survived by his former wife, Jeanette; children Karen Cooper, Marsha Powell, John, Andrea, Karissa, and Leah Hamilton; and 13 grandchildren. He was deeply loved by his family and friends and admired internationally within the field of psychiatry for his contributions to peer review and managed medical care.
Relatives and friends are invited to call at the WITZKE FUNERAL HOMES, INC, 5555 Twin Knolls Rd., Columbia, MD, 21045 on Saturday, August 4, 2012, 10 to 11 AM, where funeral services will immediately follow at 11 AM. Interment National Harmony Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to the Baltimore Chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness: http://www.nami.org/.