Obituaries : Philanthropist Florence Hamilton

Florence Swanson Hamilton, whose philanthropic concerns ranged from Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage to the Music Center in Los Angeles, died Sunday at that desert hospital. She was 75.

A dress designer in New York in her early years, she married W. Clarke Swanson, the frozen food processor, and moved to Omaha. He died in 1961 and she came to Los Angeles where she contributed to many organizations. Mrs. Hamilton, who married Robert A. Hamilton in 1968, was a member of the Amazing Blue Ribbon of the Music Center, The Presidents, a founding trustee of the Eisenhower Medical Center, a life trustee of the Palm Springs Desert Museum and many more.

A memorial Mass will be celebrated at 2 p.m. today at St. Francis of Assisi Church in La Quinta. Her husband, daughter, three sons and 10 grandchildren ask contributions to the Florence Swanson Hamilton Atrium Fund at Eisenhower Memorial Hospital in Rancho Mirage.