Dr. Hamilton was born on December 5, 1949, to Luther Hamilton and Esther Mae Hamilton Malone in Fort Smith, Arkansas. A 1967 honors graduate of Greenwood High School as well as a member of the Hall of Fame, Dr. Hamilton was inducted into the GHS Hall of Honor in 2020. He graduated with a B.A. in Biology and B.S. in Medical Technology from Arkansas Tech University, while lettering four years in baseball. He continued his education at the University of Missouri/Kansas City, graduating with his Doctor of Dental Surgery.
It was at UMKC when Ken met his future wife of 45 years, Kathryn “Ann”. They married on June 2, 1978, and moved back to Greenwood to start not only his dental practice but also their family. Dr. Hamilton practiced dentistry from 1978, until he was forced into retirement in 1989, due to a congenital neck condition. After dentistry, he began the medical laboratory technician program at Westark Community College. Dr. Hamilton was a tenured faculty member who was nominated for an excellence in teaching award before leaving Westark in 1997. After leaving the Westark faculty, he was elected to the Board of Trustees for Westark Community College and served four years. He was on the board as vice president during the transition from Westark Community College to University of Arkansas/Fort Smith.
After leaving Westark Community College, Dr. Hamilton joined the staff of the Arkansas Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) in 1997, and served until 2012, when he retired as the State Director. During this time, he visited coaches and student-athletes across Arkansas to encourage them to “make a difference” in their local schools and communities. As state director, he also organized summer sport camps in the First Serve Tennis Program in Sebastian and Crawford counties. Although he retired from FCA, his legacy as a leader is still felt throughout the state, and the programs he organized still continue to thrive. As a lifelong learner himself, he was also proud to serve on the Sebastian County Library Board for over 30 years, endeavoring to maintain and grow the library services in South Sebastian County.
In what would be his 30th year, Dr. Hamilton served as a volunteer coach for the GHS Boys and Girls Tennis Teams. Under his tenure, GHS Tennis has achieved statewide recognition and respect, winning 15 conference championships, three state titles, and three overall championships. He was named Conference Coach of the Year 15 times, and he was the recipient of the 2017 All Star Preps “Best of the River Valley” Tennis Coach of the Year. Through his mentorship and dedication to programs for young men and women, Dr. Kenneth Hamilton’s legacy will continue to grow through future generations who will continue to be affected by his impact.
While Heaven gained a faithful servant, we lost a Reniassance man of many interests: bee keeping, crappie fishing, agricultural pursuits, cycling, swimming, Sunday school teacher for generations, and golfing. Dr. Hamilton will best be remembered for his biblical knowledge, witty sense of humor, consistency, and character.
Dr. Hamilton is survived by his wife, Kathryn Ann Hamilton and his three daughters, Audrey Hamilton of Greenwood, Arkansas, Kasey Hamilton of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Jessica Coleman and husband, Rob Coleman of Rogers, Arkansas, as well as three athletic grandchildren, Archer Colley of Greenwood, Arkansas and Preston and Scarlett Coleman of Rogers, Arkansas.
A celebration of life service will be 10 a.m., Friday, June 9 at the Greenwood First Baptist Church under the direction of McConnell Funeral Home of Greenwood.
Memorial contributions may be made to The Voice of the Martyrs, 1815 SE Bison Rd., Bartlesville, OK 74006 or the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, P.O. Box 2521, Fort Smith, AR 72902.
To share a memory or leave a message for the family, please visit www.mcconnellfh.com.
