Mary Hamilton, a member of the GCC board of trustees since 1993, died Feb. 4. The community leader, local business owner and former New-Press columnist succumbed to liver cancer. She was 61.

Hamilton served as president of the Glendale Chamber of Commerce from 1989 to 1990, and as president of the Verdugo Hills Business and Professional Women until her death. She has served on the boards of Glendale Memorial Hospital, the Verdugo Club, the Glendale College Foundation, the Glendale Kiwanis Club, the Glendale Blue Ribbon Committee, and the Glendale Partners.

She was a columnist for the Glendale News-Press; hosted “Just Between Us,” a television investment program; and co-authored a book, “What a Woman: A Financial Planning Guide for the Newly Independent.”
Born Dec. 31, 1940, in Charlottesville, Va. She graduated from Hoover High School in Glendale, and earned a degree in business from USC.

For a lifetime of community action, the YWCA Hamilton Housing Corp, an affordable housing and shelter group for abused women, was named in her honor.

Said GCC President Dr. John Davitt of her compassion and devotion to students and victims of domestic abuse, “She could see the light at the end of the tunnel, and she wanted to help them walk the road to success.”

She is survived by her two sons, Hudson and John Bair, her granddaughters Salix and Aralia, and former husband Nat Read.

Donations may be made to the Mary Hamilton Memorial Scholarship in the care of the Glendale College Foundation, 1500 N. Verdugo Road, Glendale, CA 91208.