Scott Downs Hamilton, Jr.

Obituary Notice

Scott Downs Hamilton, Jr. age 77, died July 30, 2005 in Little Rock, Arkansas. He was born February 20, 1928 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, the son of the late Scott D. and Sue McDonnell Hamilton. His father was Secretary-Manager of the Chamber of Commerce in Fayetteville, Hot Springs, Fort Smith and in Little Rock (1943-1954) He grew up in Hot Springs, Fort Smith and Little Rock, graduating from LR High School in 1945. He received degrees from Cornell University, from Brasenose College, Oxford University as a Fulbright Scholar and from the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University with a M.A. in Public Administration. He served in Korea and Japan as a lst Lt. in the U. S. Air Force. 

Scott worked as a designer for Erhart, Eichenbaum, Rauch & Blass, Little Rock, studied under Frank Lloyd Wright as a Taliesin Fellowship apprentice, worked as a designer for Herbe-LeCouteur in Paris, France and Alvar Aalto in Helsinki Finland. He was a City Planner in Anchorage, AL in the early 60's including the period of the major earthquake. He moved to Hawaii in 1965 where he worked briefly for Donald Wolbrink & Associates as a planning consultant. From 1966 until his retirement, he was a civilian Facilities and Environmental Planner for the Navy at Pearl Harbor. Scott was active in his Waikiki community serving as President of the Waikiki Neighborhood Board, President of Citizens of Hawaii, as a trustee for the Tennent Art Foundation, President of the Conservation Council of Hawaii along with active participation in the distance running and mountaineering groups. He served on the Common Cause National Board, 1973-76, was National President of the Road Runners Clubs of America in 1966 and National Vice-Chair, AAU Long Distance Running Committee, 1970-80. He ran in the Honolulu, Pikes Peak, New York and Boston Marathons, as well as in many other countries. He was a member of Oxford's first Himalayan Expedition to Mount Haramosh in 1957, was a participant in a 1964 mountaineering expedition and the 1990 International Peace Climb on the north face of Mt. Everest. 

Scott returned to Little Rock in 2003 in declining health to be close to his family. He was a member of Second Presbyterian Church. He was predeceased by his parents and his youngest sister, Susan Hunter Hamilton Graves. 

He is survived by his sister, Joanne Hamilton Riddick and her husband, Walter G.Jr., of Little Rock and six nieces and nephews and their children; John S. Haley (Danette) and their daughters, Anne and Colleen, of Little Rock and Bangkok, Susan Haley Adams and her sons, Chris and Andrew, of Eden Prairie, MN, David C. Haley (Lori) and their children, David, Jr., Connor, Lauren and Katherine of Dallas, TX, Kim Graves Vollendorf (Sean) and their sons, Fisher, Simeon and Stone, of Fayetteville, AR; Christy Graves Akol (Dan) and her son, Carter Smith, of Lafayette, California and Scott D. Graves (Holly) and their son, Hunter, of Walla Walla, Washington. 

A celebration service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 6, at Ruebel Funeral Home with burial prior to the service at 9:15 a.m. at Roselawn Cemetery. The Rev. Steve Hancock will officiate. The family will be at the Riddick family home following the service. The family gratefully acknowledges the love and support of his many cousins, extended family and friends. 

The family requests that in lieu of flowers that donations may be made to the charity of the donor's choice.

Register Book

• Marilyn Hall
  Little Rock, Arkansas

• I'm sorry I never met you, but Susan Haley and I were friends long ago. Your family always went out of their way to make me feel welcomed. You're in my thoughts and prayers.
  Donna (Hosto) Parker
  Little Rock, Arkansas
  Email: dparker59@comcast .com

• Aloha and farewell to a great Hawaii citizen, we miss you running through the streets, your scrap book, your dedicated community service and many accomplishments, one especially
  when under your leadership we were able to set air quality standards for the betterment of Hawaii's citizenry after a long and strong fight with industry giants such as the Hawaiian Electric Company and Honolulu gas among others...sure with there were others around like you Pal....God Bless you on your long run in Heaven.
  Jack Sullivan
  Accountant
  Honolulu, Hawaii
  Email: sullivan@aloha.com

• Our thoughts are with our cousins, John, Susan, and David, and with our Aunt JoJo.
  Rob, Peggy and Nathan Seamon
  Little Rock, Arkansas
  Email: rpnsea@aol.com

• Susan Adams has often spoken lovingly and highly of Scott - I know he will be missed his family. My sincerest thoughts and prayers will be with you.
  Dave Yeager
  Minneapolis, Minnesota

• Joanne - I extend my condolences to you and your family on the loss of Scott. He is still well remembered and missed by his many friends at Central Union Church in Honolulu as a fascinating, one-of-a-kind fellow, filled with knowledge and stories about so many subjects! As a musician, I enjoyed chatting with him about music; my son (now 23) was so impressed as a youngster with Scott's Mt. Everest feats and the many marathons he ran. My prayers are with you all today. Aloha ke akua.
  Leigh Ann Braley
  Ministers' Secretary - Central Union Church
  Honolulu, Hawaii
  Email: churchlady@centralunionchurch.org

• Dear Scott's family: I read, with sadness, in the Honolulu Advertiser, that Scott died. What a loss! I remember when we returned to Honolulu in 1975 (husband's military orders) and Scott mentored my then-14 son Brian, then a fledging marathoner. He ran his first marathon in 1975 and turned out to be a very good runner. He is now 43 and I am 68 so time marches on! Just wanted his family to know that Scott made a real impact on the running community here and was a marvelous role model for the young people! God bless Scott in his new resting place!
  Nancy R. Jones
  Honolulu, Hawaii
  Email: Erkelcats@aol.com

• Aloha to Scott..... I first met Scott when I started working for the Navy as a base planner in the early 1980s, when he alone was the "environmental planning staff" at the Pacific Division, Naval Facilities Engineering Command. We worked together on several occasions, including traveling to Guam, Saipan and Tinian as part of a small team presenting the results of an Environmental Impact Statement to the public. The story of Scott having raced a city bus from Pearl Harbor to Downtown in rush-hour traffic - and winning! - was one of the things that inspired me to keep going in the Honolulu Marathon year after year. Scott certainly packed a lot into his life - I don't think that I will even come close!
  John Bigay
  Community Planner, US Navy
  Honolulu, Hawaii
  Email: john.bigay@navy.mil

• A wonderful person with incredible abilities, mental and physical. He was a faithful member of Central Union Church and a very stimulating conversationalist. He is remembered and missed in Hawaii. Faithfully, 
  Rev. Dr. Edward "Ted" Robinson
  Senior Minister Emeritus, Central Union Church
  Honolulu, Hawaii

• As one of Scott's many Navy-affiliated friends in Hawaii, I am sad to hear of his passing. We shared times in Guam, Tinian and Saipan, being greeted on one occasion by local officials with chilled coconuts for a refreshing drink. Several of Scott's sketches are still under the glass which covers my desk. He lived life in his own particular style and being around him was never dull. Thank you for sharing Scott with us.
  Rebecca Hommon
  Counsel, Navy Region Hawaii
  Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
  Email: rebecca.hommon@navy.mil

• Aloha Scott...I only found out this day of Scott's passing (10 October 2005). I have fond memories of catching up with Scott in Waikiki during my Royal New Zealand Navy Days while visiting Pearl Harbor. My mother (maiden name: Natalie Hamilton) used to speak highly of Scott and always mentioned when she received mail from Scott. Your "Down Under" Distant Cousin
  John Hamilton Bullock
  Christchurch, New Zealand.
  Email: sinbadjb@hotmail.com