Dear Members of the Hamilton Community,
I am writing to share the sad news that life trustee Nancy Ferguson Seeley GP’17 died April 18, 2024, at the age of 95. A 1950 graduate of Stanford University, she was a buyer for the J.W. Robinson Company in Los Angeles before selling real estate in Hudson, Ohio.
Nancy was active in her community, serving as a board member for the Girl Scouts, the Akron chapter of the DAR, and her church. She worked with the Naples Philharmonic and the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, and was a board member of the Antique Boat Museum on the St. Lawrence River. She was also an avid traveler, having visited more than 90 countries.
Nancy’s family ties to Hamilton College span more than 150 years. They include her grandfather, Daniel A. Ferguson, Class of 1871; Nancy’s father, Leonard, a 1919 Hamilton graduate who served as president of the Alumni Association and was a member of the Board of Trustees; her brothers Rodger ’47 and Dan ’48; a niece and nephew; and most recently a granddaughter, Katherine Sanford Hayse ’17. Nancy’s election as a charter trustee in 1992 extended a line of service that has seen a member of the Ferguson family on the Hamilton board almost continuously since 1925.
The Ferguson family’s legacy at Hamilton is evident in campus buildings, professorships, scholarships and other endowed funds, including the Leonard C. ’19 and Mildred F. Ferguson Scholarship that Nancy established in memory of her parents.
Nancy’s mother, Mildred, originally from nearby Remsen, was also deeply loyal and supportive of Hamilton, and was awarded the Bell Ringer Award in 1987 for “exceptional service to Hamilton, its alumni, and the community.” When Nancy received the same honor 27 years later, it marked the first time the Alumni Association’s highest award had been given to a mother and daughter. In making the presentation, Alumni Association President John Hadity ’83 said, “Like mother, like daughter, today we take equally great pleasure in honoring you, Nancy Ferguson Seeley, for your role in perpetuating a truly wonderful family connection to Hamilton.”
