HAMILTON, Milo 1927 - 2015

HAMILTON, DITTMER, WAHLIG

Posted By: Joey Stark
Date: 10/4/2015 at 16:11:38

"The Fairfield Ledger"
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
Page 8

Milo HAMILTON

Hall of Fame sports announcer, and former voice of the Houston Astros, Milo HAMILTON, passed away in Houston on Thursday morning, the 17th of September 2015. He was 88.

Milo was a proud native of Fairfield, Iowa born the 2nd of September to Milo and Cleo HAMILTON. He was well known for a stellar career in broadcasting that spanned 70 years but there was much more to the man.

Milo was a loving son, husband, and father. Milo never forgot his hometown of Fairfield, Iowa, so much so he made every effort to make it back to Iowa on a yearly basis to visit his beloved city of Fairfield as well as Davenport, where he met Arlene, his wife of 53 years. Upon his graduation from Fairfield High School, Milo enlisted in the Navy and served proudly during WWII as a member of the Navy Seabees. During his 30 years in Houston he took great pride in participating in many functions and ceremonies to honor the military. Milo is a proud graduate of the University of Iowa and followed his beloved Hawkeyes sports teams with great passion. He leant his name and time to numerous charitable organizations and took great pride to know he helped raise $50 million in contributions.

To get away from the spotlight of his career, Milo loved fine restaurant dining and hunting. To have an enjoyable meal with friends or family at one of his favorite restaurants brought him more joy than most would imagine. Milo's love of hunting and his hunting dogs gave him an opportunity to be with close friends, and was by far the most cherished time to spend with his son Mark ("Muggsy"). "HOLY TOLEDO" Milo had a DOUBLE BLUE STAR life.

Milo was preceded in death by his parents, Milo and Cleo HAMILTON; his beloved wife Arlene; and his loving daughter, Patricia Joy. He is survived by his son, Mark Edwin Milo HAMILTON of Roswell, GA; and Mark's long-time partner, Katie Bishop; two sisters-in-law, Kate DITTMER of Eldridge, Iowa and Phyllis WAHLIG of Davenport, Iowa.

Friends are cordially invited to a visitation with the family from five o'clock in the afternoon until eight o'clock in the evening on Thursday, the 24th of September, in the Jasek Chapel and grand foyer of Geo. H. Lewis & Sons, 1010 Bering Drive, in Houston.

A funeral service for family and close friends is to be conducted at eleven o'clock in the morning on Friday, the 25th of September, in the Jasek Chapel of Geo. H. Lewis & Sons.

At a later date the family will gather for a private inurnment service in Iowa.

The family respectfully requests and cordially invites fans to pay their respects from three until five o'clock in the afternoon on Friday, the 25th of September, and from nine o'clock in the morning until five o'clock in the afternoon on Saturday and Sunday, the 26th and 27th of September, at Geo. H. Lewis & Sons.

In lieu of customary remembrances, the family requests with gratitude that memorial contributions in Milo's name be directed to the Astros Foundation c/o Minute Maid Park; 501 Crawford St., Houston, TX, 77002; or to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, 5433 Westheimer Rd. #300, Houston, TX, 77056.

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"The Fairfield Ledger"
Friday, September 18, 2015
Front Page

Milo HAMILTON dies
Fairfield native was hall of fame broadcaster

HAMILTON was inducted into Fairfield High School's Wall of Honor in 2006; broadcast Major League Baseball from 1953 until his retirement in 2012

By Nicole Hester-Williams
Ledger staff writer

"Everyone in that auditorium believed they could be somebody after his speech," Fairfield resident Angie Lamb said of Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Milo HAMILTON when he spoke to Fairfield High School students during his 2006 Wall of Honor induction speech. "He was very good at inspiring kids -- he told them he made B's and C's in school and got a No. 2 rating for a speech he gave at state -- yet he still became a famous broadcaster."

Known for the phrase, "Holy Toledo!" during his lively play-by-play calls, Fairfield native son and renowned radio and television MLB broadcaster, died Thursday in Houston, Texas.

Born Leland Milo HAMILTON to Fairfield residents Milo and Cleo HAMILTON in 1927, he attended FHS, and graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in radio speech.

HAMILTON served in the U.S. Navy and worked as an Armed Forces Radio broadcaster during World War II.

His sports broadcasting career officially began with the Davenport Quads of the Three-I league.

However, it wasn't long before HAMILTON found himself in the big leagues with the St. Lewis Browns (sic).

HAMILTON's most famous call came in 1974 when he was the voice of Henry Aaron's record-setting 715th homerun.

"Sittin' on 714. Here's the pitch by Downing, swinging, there's the drive into left center field, that ball is going to beeee outa here! It's gone! It's 715, there's a new home-run champion of all-time, and it's Henry Aaron!" HAMILTON's excited voice echoed throughout the world while the stadium crowd of more than 53,000 cheered.

According to the National Baseball Hall of Fame website, HAMILTON's six-decade long broadcasting career included stops with the St. Louis Browns (1953), Chicago Cubs (1956-57 and 1980-84), Chicago White Sox (1962-65), Atlanta Braves (1966-75) and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1976-79).

HAMILTON's longest run was with the Houston Astros from 1985 until his retirement in 2012.

"He's the voice of the Houston Astros," said Astros broadcaster Alan Ashby during an interview with fellow broadcaster Bill Brown. "Simply he's the captain ... every broadcast was like it was the last one he'd ever give, and he loved it with all of his heart."

Ashby worked alongside HAMILTON for eight years.

Receiving the Ford C. Frick Award, HAMILTON was inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame in 1992.

He was named the "King of Baseball" in 2009, and he was also inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame and the Texas Radio Hall of Fame.

However, despite his illustrious career, those who knew HAMILTON best said he never despised his humble beginnings -- in fact, he appreciated his roots and often spoke about his hometown in public.

"He was a very humble person, and he was nice to everyone," Lamb said. "He was very good at what he did for a living, but he didn't let that get in the way of who he was as a person."

Lamb, whose mother-in-law had been close friends with HAMILTON since high school, remembers a man who cherished his small-town values.

"He influenced my life and my daughters' lives. He would always recognize where he grew up," she said.

Lamb's daughter Amanda was a sophomore at FHS when HAMILTON was inducted into the Wall of Honor.

"After the assembly, everyone kept saying it was one of the best assembly speeches they ever heard," Amanda said.

Angie recalled attending several games in Houston, and said she was in awe of how well respected he was.

"We didn't know him like that. Mostly, when he called he'd be watching the Hawkeyes," she laughed, adding that he would sing the Iowa fight song. "We got the funny side of him. ... when the phone would ring during half-time, we'd know it was him. He'd say, 'they need to get their stuff together.'"

Lamb said she last spoke to him around three weeks ago.

HAMILTON's first cousin, Fairfield resident Lois Billingsley remembered good times with her cousin, whom she lovingly called "mischievous."

"We were five months apart. We grew up together," she said, recalling the times he spent on her family's Jefferson County farm.

When asked if she ever thought he would become famous: "Yes, I did," she responded.

"He had a great voice, both recording and singing. He was in the choir in high school," she said.

In his book "Making Airwaves," HAMILTON told a story of his FHS basketball coach, Turk Balderson.

HAMILTON said he had quit the band, and the school's bandmaster told his coach: "You shouldn't have anything to do with Milo. He's a no-good person who quits everything."

"To his credit," HAMILTON wrote. "Turk didn't listen to the advice. Instead he judged me for what I was ..."

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*Copied with permission from The Fairfield Ledger, Inc. This material may NOT be copied and re-posted in any public venue such as Ancestry or Find A Grave without permission from The Fairfield Ledger ~ copyright restrictions apply.
*Transcribed for genealogy purposes; I have no relation to the person(s) mentioned.

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