Abigail Dunagan, Campus Carrier features editor

Cammie Wilks, Campus Carrier asst. features editor

This past week, Berry College mourned the loss of Evelyn Louise Hamilton (Dec. 2, 1946- Sept. 2, 2024), who was one of the first African American students to graduate from the institution. 

Berry College was a segregated school during its first 50 years, remaining dedicated to Martha Berry’s original mission of educating the students from Georgia’s rural areas. Although the school’s original charter did not mention race, the college chose to remain segregated for many years. There were no African American students attending Berry at the time, and few applied due to the assumption that they would be denied. Those who did apply were denied admission under the claim of “full rooms.” 

In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed the segregation of schools in the ruling of Brown vs. Board of Education. At the time when Berry’s president John R. Bertrand was serving the college, issues of segregation were at the forefront of academia in the south. Although there was much discussion and debate amongst the students and faculty of the school, on Sept. 23, 1964, Bertrand announced that Berry College would no longer be segregated.  

Hamilton graduated from Main High School in 1964 with plans to attend college. She was approached by the principal at her school who informed her and several other students that Berry College was planning on integrating, and the students were asked if they would be interested in attending the college. After becoming one of the first African American students to enroll at Berry, Hamilton graduated in 1969 with a Bachelors of Science in Home Economics. 

Director of Foundation Relations and Strategic Partnerships Stacey Spillers has been at Berry for over 20 years, and she met Hamilton during the beginning of her time at here. According to Spillers, Hamilton was instrumental in the re-igniting of the African American Alumni chapter, and she also worked to establish the Hamilton-Smith scholarship. This is an endowed scholarship that was founded by Hamilton alongside Beverly Smith, who graduated at the same time as Hamilton with a Bachelors in English. Spillers had the opportunity to take Hamilton and Beverly Smith out to lunch a few times a year, and she got learn more about their experiences as students at Berry. 

“Evelyn was a very humble person, but very much   a servant leader that you respected,” Spillers said. “From her time at Berry, even though she would let you know there were some times where she wasn’t content, she always had a positive outlook and talked about what she gained from the experience.” 

After graduating from Berry, Hamilton worked as a caseworker in the department of family and children services for 34 years. She was an active participant in community service throughout her life, such as securing a grant to renovate her old high school, volunteering at a local clinic and working with various other organizations to help others. 

“She was a quiet leader, but more for the sake that she didn’t want any attention on herself,” Spillers said. “She was the most humble person I probably knew. She wanted to get things done. There were many things that were very important to her servant life here on campus. She was a person who tried to emulate what Jesus would want you to do.” 

Chief Belonging and Community Engagement Officer Haley Smith got to meet with Hamilton and Smith two years ago to discuss the establishment of the Office of Belonging and Community Engagement. According to Smith, Hamilton was eager to support the new office, as this was not something that would have been possible in 1964 when she was a student. Although Hamilton did not work directly with the office, Smith said that they take a lot of inspiration from her life. Hamilton was heavily involved in local community service, and this is something that many in the Berry community admire and cherish. 

“In addition to being an inspiration of diversity on this campus and being open-minded and inclusive, I think that her life is ultimately a reflection of the kind of person we aspire for our students to be,” Smith said. “In the way we approach community and identity, she is somebody that I aspire to be like. My hope is that we can inspire our students to be something like her.” 

Hamilton is remembered by many for her generosity and kindness. Her legacy at Berry College is one that will be remembered for years to come, and her story has impacted many lives. 

“I think her life represented innovation, and thinking more openly,” Smith said. “I think that her coming into Berry College at the time that she did would not have been as easy as it is now. It is still a predominantly white institution. The bravery and willingness of her to be with people who were learning at that time is pretty incredible.”