HAMILTON, ALEXANDER J. (3 May 1903-26 May 1994) counted an Olympic medalist among those he trained in his lifelong hobby of speed skating. The son of Tom and Marie Hamilton, the native Clevelander was a graduate of West Technical High School. He had begun skating in 1917 at EDGEWATER PARK. He won the Ohio Olympic Skating trials in both the 5,000- and 10,000-meter races at ROCKEFELLER PARK in 1927. Hamilton, who worked as an electrician for the M.A. HANNA CO., married the former Edna Senner in 1937. He started training skaters at the Edgewater Speedskating Club, which he had organized in 1935. After developing several national champions and record-holders, he formed the Town & Country Speedskating Club in STRONGSVILLE in 1960. One of his students there was Jenny Fish, who became the only Ohio woman to make the U.S. Olympic speed skating team. Hamilton accompanied her to the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France, where Fish won a 2d-place silver medal. Hamilton's awards included the J.F. Kennedy Sports Memorial Medal and selection to the Amateur Skating Union Hall of Fame. He was a director of the U.S. International Skating Ass'n. and a member of the U.S. Olympic Speed Skating Committee. A resident of ROCKY RIVER, he served on the suburb's city council in 1958-9. He was buried at Sunset Memorial Park, survived by his wife and a son, James.
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