1940s
William Archibald III ’43
William Archibald III ’43, a mechanical engineer of Salt Lake City, Utah, was born on June 21, 1921, in New York City, the son of the former Edith Dyatt and William Archibald, Jr., a spice and seeds broker. He was raised in Scarsdale, N.Y., and graduated from the local high school.
On the Hill, Archibald was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon and played football during his junior year. He majored in chemistry and mathematics. Editors of the 1943 Hamiltonian described him this way: “The quietest man in college, Archie never said anything unless he was forced to, and then it was worth hearing.”
Immediately following graduation, Archibald served in the U.S. Army during World War II from 1943 to 1946, working on the Manhattan Project in Oak Ridge, Tenn. He followed that with a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1947.
Archibald worked as a hydraulic engineer for 36 years beginning in 1949 with the Worthington Corp. He also served his church and Kiwanis for as many years, according to a published obituary.
Reflecting in his 50th reunion yearbook, Archibald noted: “The academic and social experiences at Hamilton emphasized the importance of both individual effort and group cooperation. This encouraged further personal education.”
Learning, for Archibald, continued even after his retirement in 1986. He and his wife traveled in a motor home for six years throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, where they relished meeting new people and exploring new geography and environments. Known as a gracious gentleman, retirement also enabled him to pursue his love of volunteering, especially with Literacy Volunteers of America.
William Archibald III died on July 16, 2017, surrounded by his three daughters. He was 96 years old and is also survived by four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. His wife, the former Imogene Simmons, to whom he had been married for 54 years, predeceased him in 2004.
Hans Hermann Schambach ’43
Hans Hermann Schambach ’43, a businessman, collector of fine musical instruments, and a life trustee of the College, was born in Germany on Dec. 25, 1920, to Franz Schambach and the former Eva Fizank. He immigrated to the United States in 1935 and settled in Clinton, N.Y., to live with his aunt and uncle, Anna “Frau” and Walter Schmitt, who worked as the cooks and custodians at the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity house. The 14-year-old assisted with the chores at the house before and after pursuing his studies at Clinton High School.
In 1939, coincident with the outbreak of war in Europe, Schambach entered Hamilton and worked his way through for two years, focusing his studies on political science and finding time to participate on the soccer team. His education was interrupted, however, when the U.S. entered World War II and his status as a German citizen led to his internment. From 1943 to 1945, he was held at a camp run by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service in Bismarck, N.D., where he and fellow internees worked as “gandy dancers” on the Northern Pacific Railroad lines.
After the war, Schambach returned to the East Coast where he established the Hamilton Cast Corp., named for his alma mater, which made molds and parts for fabricating precious metals. The company served the top retail jewelers in the New York City area, Tiffany among them.
In 1972, Hamilton Cast merged with Atlantic Oil Corp., and Schambach became chairman of the board. After retiring in 1980, he oversaw a vineyard and winery in Italy, and devoted time to expanding his collection of rare musical instruments. The collection, which grew to include two priceless Stradivarius violins and a one-of-a-kind miniature violin made by the great Giuseppe Guarneri in 1735, was first publicly displayed in 1983 at Hamilton’s Emerson Gallery.
The instruments that Schambach originally acquired as an investment vehicle grew to hold a much more significant value for the collector. Having the opportunity to curate a portion of our cultural heritage became his personal mission. He once noted that his collection “ensures the preservation of some of man’s most valuable treasures, the creations of great artists and artisans from the past, thus guaranteeing their availability for future generations.”
This obligation to provide for future generations extended to his alma mater as well. Schambach believed that a college education was available to him only because of the scholarship he received to attend Hamilton. In 1983 — as a means of repaying a “debt to the people of Central New York, the College, and the country” — he contributed $1 million to endow a scholarship fund for promising students in need of financial aid. Also important to him, Schambach stipulated that recipients were expected to cover part of their college expenses with on-campus employment. At the time, it was the largest single scholarship endowment ever established at Hamilton, and as of today has assisted more than 150 students.
His philanthropy also made possible the Schambach Center for Music and the Performing Arts, which opened in 1988. Upon its dedication he noted, “It is fantastic to see this building completed. It is the great American dream getting here as an immigrant boy and reaching a point where I could help.”
Schambach served Hamilton in other ways as well. A volunteer on behalf of several fundraising campaigns, he was elected as an alumni trustee in 1980, a charter trustee in 1983, and was serving as a life trustee at the time of his death. The College presented him with an honorary degree in 1988.
Hans H. Schambach died on April 16, 2018, at the age of 97. He is survived by his wife, Maria. Other survivors include a cousin, Robert Schmitt ’60, and a nephew, Andrew Ravenna ’10. He is predeceased by two wives and a daughter.
Gilbert Flagler Adams ’45
Gilbert Flagler Adams ’45, a teacher, coach, and former director of alumni affairs at Hamilton, was born in Newark, N.J., on Dec. 23, 1923, and graduated from Caldwell High School. A son of Walter Adams and the former Julia Green, he followed his older brother, David Adams ’38, to College Hill.
Adams had just enough time to begin his studies and letter in football before duty called in 1943. Commissioned as a 1st lieutenant in the Army Air Force, he spent the next three years as a weather officer serving stateside, predicting weather for training flights in the Midwest. Upon his return to Hamilton, Adams picked up where he left off. He was active with Tau Kappa Epsilon, elected to Doers & Thinkers, and served on the Intramural Council before receiving his diploma in mathematics in 1947.
One year later, Adams married Margaret “Mickey” Brant, whom he had met as a blind date when Hamilton’s football team visited the University of Rochester in 1946. In the decades that followed, he pursued his long career as an educator and coach. His first teaching job was at Bethlehem Central School in Delmar, N.Y., where he also coached freshman football for four seasons. It was the beginning of 52 seasons of sports he would coach at four secondary schools in New York and New Jersey. While in Delmar, he also completed his master’s in education at the New York State College for Teachers in Albany.
The Adamses returned to the Garden State in 1951 when Gil assumed teaching jobs at East Orange High School and West Essex Regional High School. In addition to football, he added ice hockey to his coaching repertoire. He began the hockey program at East Orange and, in 1962, took over the West Essex Knights team that upset Chatham and won the Gordon Cup, a New Jersey state championship.
Throughout his professional life, Adams never lost ties with Hamilton. He served as president of the Northern New Jersey Alumni Association, secretary of the Alumni Council, vice president of the Society of Alumni, and, from 1967 to 1970, as the College’s director of alumni affairs. A longtime class correspondent for this magazine, his knowledge of Hamilton history and lore, especially as it related to athletics, was unmatched.
In 1971, Adams returned to education, teaching mathematics at Clinton Central School where he also coached hockey, cross country, and tennis. Although he retired in 1986, he and Mickey did not take a break from their many activities. In addition to leadership roles at their church and involvement in choral groups, Adams served as Elderhostel coordinator at Hamilton and terms as president of the Clinton Kiwanis Club, the Clinton Historical Society, and the Clinton Teachers Association.
Chief among their community contributions was founding and serving as the first residential directors (1972-76) and later board chairs of Clinton’s “A Better Chance” program, a national organization that brings teenagers from inner-city or disadvantaged schools to communities where they are mentored to reach their academic potential. In 2003, Gil and Mickey received a lifetime achievement award from the Clinton ABC. Twenty years earlier, they were named Man and Woman of the Year in Clinton by the Helmuth-Ingalls American Legion Post 232.
In 1995, at his 50th Hamilton reunion, Adams was presented with the Bell Ringer Award, and he put the prize to good use. “In 2012, as grand marshal of the Fourth of July Parade representing 40 years of Clinton ABC, Gil rang his bell from one end of Clinton to the other, always with a smile and a twinkle in his eye,” a published obituary noted.
Gilbert F. Adams died on April 15, 2018, at the age of 94. Predeceased by his wife in 2010, he is survived by three daughters, a son, daughter-in-law Kristen Kratzert ’79, 11 grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.
Gil Adams ’45 and Clarence Aldridge ’45 met on College Hill in 1941 — Adams came from Caldwell, N.J., and Aldridge from Honeoye Falls, N.Y. They loved the area so much that both eventually settled in Clinton. The two became lifelong friends and were regulars at Hamilton sporting and cultural events and at alumni weekends. Aldridge died on March 11, 2015, and with Adams’ passing this spring, Hamilton has lost both members of this most devoted and beloved duo.
A few months after I arrived at Hamilton as director of publications, we decided to feature a photo of Hamilton memorabilia on the cover of a Reunions brochure. I assumed I’d head over to College Archives to select a few items, but Frank Lorenz, archivist at the time, suggested I call “Gil and Clarence” instead. He spoke the names like they were a singular entity — like you’d say “Hall and Oates” or “Ben and Jerry.” Intrigued, I called Gil, who said without hesitation, “Let me check with Clarence, but I think we can stop by this afternoon.”
A few hours later, two men appeared at my door carrying large boxes. I still have no idea how they gathered so much Hamilton stuff that quickly, but sure enough we had what we needed for the photo and then some. For the next few hours, Gil and Clarence sat in my office carefully presenting each item and telling its story. There were photos of cadets marching on campus during World War II and newspaper clippings brittle with age. Larger treasures included a buff-colored letterman’s sweater featuring a blue block “H” and my personal favorite, a faded green “slimer” beanie that freshmen were required to wear or face the wrath of upperclassmen. As Clarence shared a story of his days living on the third floor of the Chapel as a student bell ringer, I noticed tears had begun to well in Gil’s eyes.
At that moment three things became clear to me —
- Hamilton alumni love this place in a way that I had not experienced at the two colleges where I had worked previously.
- Whenever I needed a source for Hamilton history and lore, I would know just where to turn.
- Frank Lorenz could have retrieved everything we needed for the photo from archives, but instead, he had wanted me to meet “Gil and Clarence.”
— Stacey J. Himmelberger
George Anthony Shaffer ’46
George Anthony Shaffer ’46, an attorney of Utica, N.Y., was born on Oct. 8, 1923, in Utica, a son of the former Jennie Francis and Lewis Shaffer, a produce dealer. He was a graduate of T.R. Proctor High School.
Shaffer entered Hamilton as a premed student, until his studies were interrupted by the call of Uncle Sam to join the U.S. Army. He was sent to earn his ASTP certification in medicine from Stanford University and served as a medic from 1943 to 1946, was wounded in the Battle of Remagen, and earned the Bronze Star and Purple Heart for heroism. After World War II, he returned to the Hill, this time directing his career aspirations toward the law, and completed his degree requirements in 1948.
Shaffer was a member of Chi Psi and majored in political science. Noting his ever-present smile, the 1948 Hamiltonian presciently quipped that the “Ever jovial George conceals the analytic mind which should lead another legal eagle to great success.”
He received an LL.B. in 1950 and a J.D. in 1968 from Albany Law School. Shaffer practiced law in Utica for more than 60 years as a New York estate tax attorney, starting with Helmer, Shaffer & Johnson and later as a solo practitioner.
Reminiscing on his days on campus for his Hamilton 50th reunion yearbook, Shaffer noted that he was impacted most by “the beauty of the Hamilton campus, the informality and friendship of faculty and students alike, four years of compulsory public speaking, and the outstanding preparation I received for the rest of my life, for which I shall be eternally grateful.”
He was a member of the Oneida County and New York State Bar Associations and active in many community organizations, including serving as finance chair and on the executive committee of the Oneida County Republican Party and as president of Catholic Charities of Oneida and Madison Counties. Shaffer was also an avid tennis player and enjoyed spending time at a golf villa at New Smyrna Beach, Fla.
George A. Shaffer died on March 26, 2018, at the age of 94. He is survived by four children and seven grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife, the former Gloria Donato, in 1999.
Richard Carlisle Burns, Sr. ’49
Richard Carlisle Burns, Sr. ’49, a paper container company executive of Johns Island, S.C., and more recently of Jamesville, N.Y., was born on Oct. 4, 1926, in Clinton, N.Y., a son of the former Kathleen Kennedy and Owen Gregory Burns, Class of 1914, an attorney. He graduated from Clinton High School, where he was an accomplished athlete in football, hockey, basketball, and baseball. Burns joined an extensive legacy of family members who made the short trip up College Hill. In addition to his father and three uncles were brothers Nicholas K. ’46, Owen J. ’47, and Owen G. “Greg” ’49, as well as cousins Bernard O. ’46, James L. ’49, and Francis J. ’57.
Dick Burns entered Hamilton with the Class of ’48 before he was called into duty with the U.S. Navy. After World War II, he returned to the Hill to complete his studies, graduating with the Class of ’49. He was a standout at the Sage Rink and served as captain of the 1948-49 hockey team. An English literature major, he also lent his talents to the golf team, Pentagon, Was Los, Doers & Thinkers, College Choir, and Delta Kappa Epsilon.
After graduation, Burns began his career at Mohawk Containers in Utica, N.Y., in sales. From there he advanced in his career, serving in various positions, including president, at Oneida Containers in Vernon, N.Y. He retired in 1993.
Burns and his wife enjoyed their retirement years on Seabrook Island in Charleston, S.C., where they were regulars at the Seabrook Island Country Club. He remained an accomplished golfer and was also a member of the Yahnundasis, Sadaquada, and Skenandoa country clubs in the Clinton area for more than 40 years. Burns was an avid reader and a skilled bridge player known for his wit and good humor, according to a published obituary.
As a show of his lighter side, Burns recalled for his fellow alumni in his 50th reunion yearbook Hamilton’s impact on his life: “‘Bobo’ taught us how to read!” A fitting tribute to his favorite professor and mentor, Robert “Bobo” Rudd.
Richard C. Burns died on April 12, 2018, in Jamesville, N.Y. He was 91 years old and is survived by two sons, two daughters, four grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and his partner, Anne Ross. He was predeceased by a son in 1982 and his wife of 55 years, the former Constance Weaver, in 2005.
