Joseph Stewart Hamilton

1938 - 2024

Joseph Stewart Hamilton

February 12, 1938 - November 1, 2024

Joseph Stewart Hamilton passed away on the evening of November 1, 2024, in the company of his wife, Carol, and children, Jessica and Joel. He was 86 years old. The youngest of three brothers, Joe was raised on a family farm in Grand Rapids, MI - an upbringing that shaped his relentless work ethic and love of nature. A lifelong intellectual, Joe credited the solitude of working the land, riding horseback, and hunting with his dogs for providing hours of quiet contemplation that propelled him from a student at a one-room country school to a graduate of Calvin College (BA), Harvard University (MA), and the University of Illinois (ABD). He would teach at the College of William and Mary and Oxford University before finding his passion in alternative education, most powerfully as an advocate for social justice and the underprivileged. As co-founder of the Open High School in Richmond, VA, Joe's rebellious spirit was a driving force behind innovative, community-driven education programs. His work establishing a state-accredited home school group in Loma Prieta, CA became a model for the region and received national recognition from NBC's The Today Show. His love of the outdoors was ever-present, often guiding backpacking and whitewater canoeing trips that produced both joy and distress for the students and family that accompanied him. In later years his adventures became more civilized, finding fulfillment in the landscapes of Hawaii, Italy's Dolomites, and the foothills of Eagle, ID. He loved dogs and horses until the very end. Joe was preceded in death by his oldest son, Lars.