Rev. Eugene L. Hamilton, O.S.A. (1914-1981)
Rev. Eugene L. Hamilton, O.S.A. entered on eternal life April 25, 1981.
Eugene LeRoy Hamilton was born on December 30, 1914 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Eugene LeRoy and Elizabeth (Duff) Hamilton. He was baptized on January 17, 1915 at Most Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, Philadelphia. He received the Sacrament of Confirmation on September 16, 1922 in the same church.
Eugene graduated from West Catholic High School, Philadelphia, in 1933. He then studied at LaSalle College, Philadelphia, during the 1933-1934 school year. In 1934, he entered the Augustinian program of formation at Augustinian Academy, Staten Island, New York, where he did a year of post-graduate studies. Eugene entered the Augustinian Novitiate on September 9, 1935. He professed simple (temporary) vows in the Order of St. Augustine on September 10, 1936 and solemn (permanent) vows on September 10, 1939.
He earned a B.A. in Philosophy from Villanova College, Villanova, Pennsylvania, in 1939. Eugene pursued theological studies from 1939 to 1943 at Augustinian College, Washington, D.C. He did further studies in Library Science at Villanova College. He was ordained a priest on May 28, 1942.
Father Hamilton was affiliated in 1943 to the recently formed Augustinian Province of Our Mother of Good Counsel (Augustinians of the Midwest). He was assigned in 1943 to St. Rita High School, Chicago, as a teacher. From 1944 to 1947, he taught at St. Monica Minor Seminary, Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. He again taught at St. Rita High School, Chicago, during the 1947-48 school year.
In 1948, Father Hamilton was assigned to St. Thomas High School, Rockford, Illinois, as a teacher. During his years in Rockford, he also taught Ethics and Psychology at the School of Nursing of St. Anthony Hospital. From 1955 to 1962, he taught at Austin Catholic High School, Detroit, Michigan. He then taught at Cascia Hall School, Tulsa, Oklahoma, from 1962 until 1979.
It was discovered in 1979 that Father Hamilton had cancer. He returned to the Philadephia area, where he served as a Chaplain at Sacred Heart Hospital, Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, while receiving medical care. He died on April 25, 1981.
Father Hamilton was known as a dedicated teacher who reached out with compassion and kindness to the many students whom he taught. One of his former students, writing in the Tulsa World, said of him, "More than a teacher, he was an educator who combined knowledge with values. He knew his job and was dedicated to it totally. He was a hero or the word is not true."
He is buried in the Augustinian plot at Calvary Cemetery, West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.
Memorial gifts may be made to: The Midwest Augustinians, 10161 S Longwood Dr, Chicago, IL 60643-2032 or via our Online Giving Page.
