Hamilton Club enters 80th year
The Hamilton Club began its eightieth year on January 15 with its usual Monday evening dinner meeting and program at the Colgate Inn. This social club was founded in 1938 for the purpose of promoting “good fellowship and understanding among members, their families and associates.” Over the years, the club has brought together people from the Hamilton region in a framework that aims to share interests and transcend partisan divisions. As is often the case, the program on January 15 highlighted an aspect of the Hamilton community: a presentation by Sheila and Jessica Fitchette of “Retrospect” explained approaches to helping people to downsize, liquidate, and sell estates.
The Hamilton Club meets twice each month, usually on the first and third Mondays of the months between September and June. Members take turns arranging the programs. During fall 2017, programs included presentations by village mayor Ruth Ann Loveless, hospital administrator Sean Fadale, and Madison County Historian, Mattew Urtz; however topics also ranged far from Hamilton in presentations by Colgate astrophysicist Jeffrey Bary on “Planets, Planets Everywhere…,” as well as by sommelier Anthony Donofrio, on “Wine 101: New World vs. Old World.”
Upcoming programs likewise will range from the local to the global. On Feb. 5 Carrie Blackmore, president and co-founder of the Good Nature Brewery, will speak on “Homegrown Beer Culture: Building Craft Beer and the Local Economy in Upstate New York.”
On Feb. 19, Chris Rossi, Nancy Mitchell, and Andy Pattison will present “Hamilton Climate Action Planning: A Town, Village, and Colgate University Collaboration. Later this Spring (March 19), Thomas Brackett, retired Colgate professor of Computer Science, will draw upon his experience with Burmese refugees in a talk titled “Count Your Blessings You Are Not a Rohingya.”
In addition to such programs, twice each year the Hamilton Club has a party, usually with musical entertainment. Guests may be invited to all meetings and parties. While not a service organization, the Hamilton Club donates annually to local nonprofits, using funds accumulated not only through modest dues, but when members are unable to attend meals for which they have paid in advance.
Current Hamilton Club officers include President David Buran, Treasurer Chris Kendall and Secretary Wanda Warren Berry. Other members of the 2018 Board of Governors include past-president Gair Meres as well as Sam Cooper, David Felton, Lisa Kenyon, Janet Little, Hannah McClennen, and Jane Todd. To visit a meeting or consider membership, simply contact any current member or write to Hamilton Club, PO Box 105, Hamilton NY or email hamiltonclub.ny@gmail.com.