Alma Mary Hamilton | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | April 11, 1878 Bloomington, Illinois, US |
| Died | April 29, 1962 (aged 84) Normal, Illinois, US |
| Alma mater | Illinois Wesleyan University, Illinois State University, Columbia University |
| Occupation | Grade school teacher |
Alma Mary Hamilton was an American educator and the first recipient of a bachelor's degree from the Teachers' College at Illinois State Normal University.
Alma Mary Hamilton was born on April 11, 1878, in Bloomington, Illinois. [1] Her parents were Matthew H. Hamilton and Lida Hamilton Johnson. [1] Matthew was a local cashier at the First National Bank of Normal, which was the town in which the family resided. [2] She had three siblings. [1] She attended Bloomington High School. [2]
After high school, Alma went to Illinois Wesleyan University where she earned a bachelor's degree. [2] She also went to Illinois State Normal University and obtained the first bachelor's degree offered to students of the Teachers' College in 1908, attributing to her legacy. [1] In the summer of 1915, she earned her master's from the Teachers' College at Columbia University. [2]
Throughout her teaching career, she taught at several high schools. She began at Lincoln Public School in Bloomington, moving on to Melvin and Milford High Schools in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. [2] After her time at Columbia, she moved back to Normal and taught English at University High School. [1] She worked there from 1915 to 1943, the year she retired. [1]
Alma was also a part of Kappa Kappa Gamma social sorority and two honorary fraternities: Phi Kappa Phi and Phi Kappa Delta. [1] Her other engagements included the Thalia Circle and Woman's Improvement Association at her church, Second Presbyterian. [1]
While Alma made numerous publishings, one piece that's on record with ISU is her "Ibex Hunting" from Cornhill Magazine , in which she co-authored a story about the hunting of an Ibex in the Kurdish Highlands. [3] [4]
Hamilton-Whitten residence hall at Illinois State University was named partly in her honor, alongside ISNU faculty member Jennie Whitten, opening in 1960. [5] This was a recognition for her accomplishment in earning the first bachelor's degree. It was a virtually all-female dormitory that came about largely from the postwar population increase, necessitating more campus housing. [6]
These dorms were especially significant in their marking of a shift in ISU's campus environment. [6] Its architects, Archie Schaeffer, Harold Wilson and Joseph Orme Evans, employed a new modernist style that diverted from the previous classic, brick-and-ivy appearance. [6] It was also the first of its kind in terms of scale at ISU. These were iconic halls up until their demolition in 2012, all with Alma's legacy maintained. [6] These dorms were so beloved that pieces of the wreckage were sold for various prices to keep as mementoes. [7]
Hamilton-Whitten hall hosted many holiday events and activities for the students to enjoy. There was an article in The Vidette to commemorate all the events that took place there in its first ten years alone. [8]
Hamilton died on April 29, 1962, at a nursing home. [1]
Normal is a town in McLean County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town's population was 52,736. Normal is the smaller of two principal municipalities of the Bloomington–Normal metropolitan area, and Illinois' seventh most populous community outside the Chicago metropolitan area. Chris Koos has been Normal's mayor since 2003.
Illinois State University (ISU) is a public university in Normal, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University, it is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teaching and is recognized as one of the top ten largest producers of teachers in the US according to the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".
Northern Illinois University (NIU) is a public research university in DeKalb, Illinois. It was founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895, by Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld as part of an expansion of the state's system for producing college-educated teachers. In addition to the main campus in DeKalb, it has satellite centers in Chicago, Naperville, Rockford, and Oregon, Illinois.
Western Illinois University (WIU) is a public university in Macomb, Illinois. It was founded in 1899 as Western Illinois State Normal School. As the normal school grew, it became Western Illinois State Teachers College. Once Western Illinois started offering graduate degrees, it again changed its name to Western Illinois State College. Western Illinois has an additional campus in Moline.
CEFCU Arena, formerly known as Redbird Arena, is a 10,200-seat multi-purpose arena located in Normal, Illinois, on the campus of Illinois State University. Built in 1989, the building is notable for its use of a Teflon-coated roof that gives off a "glow" during night events. Three Illinois State Redbirds athletic teams use the facility as their home court: men's basketball, women's basketball, and women's volleyball.
Clifford Emory "Pop" Horton was an American football, basketball, and baseball coach. He was the ninth head football coach at Illinois State Normal University—now known as Illinois State University—in Normal, Illinois, serving for two seasons, from 1923 to 1934, and compiling a record of 4–8–4.
WZND-LP is a low-power FM radio station licensed for Bloomington, McLean County, Illinois, United States. The station is staffed by students of Illinois State University and airs music from genres including rock, hip-hop, classic, pop, and country. WZND has received many awards including the 2018 BEA Best College Station in the Nation award.
Campbell A. "Stretch" Miller was an American sportscaster who worked for eight years as a play-by-play announcer for the St. Louis Cardinals. Earlier in his career, Miller broadcast Illinois State Normal University athletics and other local sports on WJBC radio in Bloomington-Normal, Illinois.
Charles William "C. W." Whitten was an American educator and athletic administrator. As the chief executive of both the Illinois High School Athletic Association and the National Federation of State High School Athletic Associations, he exerted widespread influence on interscholastic athletic policy in the United States from 1922 until his retirement in 1944. In 1930, he led the effort by high school principals to eliminate national high school championships sponsored by universities, and in particular, the National Interscholastic Basketball Tournament held at the University of Chicago. In his memoir, Interscholastics, published in 1950, Whitten wrote about the place of athletics within the framework of secondary education and the issues faced by high school athletic associations.
June Rose Colby was an American professor of literature. She was the first female faculty member and third woman hired as an instructor at Illinois State Normal University, and was a supporter of the Suffragist movement.
John Williston Cook was a prominent educator during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in the United States, specifically in Illinois. His work in education, specifically in association with the Herbartianism movement, had a lasting impact on the field at the time.
David Felmley was an American educator best known for his thirty-year-long tenure as the sixth president of Illinois State University, then known as Illinois State Normal University.
The 1951 Illinois State Normal Redbirds football team represented Illinois State Normal University—now known as Illinois State University—as a member of the Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) during the 1951 college football season. Led by seventh-year head coach Edwin Struck, the Redbirds compiled an overall record of 3–5–1 with a mark of 1–4–1 in conference play, placing sixth in the IIAC. Illinois State Normal played home games at McCormick Field in Normal, Illinois.
Lida Brown McMurry (1853–1942) was an American educator, author, YWCA founder, and prominent figure within American Herbartianism throughout the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Lura Eyestone (1872-1965) was an educator and author. She both attended and worked at Illinois State Normal University. The Eyestone School in Normal, Illinois, honors her contributions to education.
Angeline ("Ange") Vernon Milner was the first full-time librarian hired at Illinois State Normal University. She was also an author and a founding member of the Illinois Library Association.
The 1948 Illinois State Normal Redbirds football team represented Illinois State Normal University—now known as Illinois State University—as a member of the Illinois Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) during the 1948 college football season. The team was led by fourth-year head coach Edwin Struck and played its home games at McCormick Field. The Redbirds finished the season with a 7–2 overall record and a 3–1 record in conference play, placing second in the IIAC. Fullback John Dal Santo was named the team's most valuable player.
Jean Scharfenberg was a professor of theatre at Illinois State University. Her students included Jane Lynch, Rondi Reed, Laurie Metcalf, Tom Irwin, and John Malkovich.
