In memoriam: John Hamilton promoted character through sports

John Hamilton created a legacy as a family man, businessman, philanthropist, loyal Trojan and sports fan beyond compare before he died of COVID-19.

The Newport Beach resident, who died Aug. 5 at age 78, had depth and breadth of knowledge about development and construction, professional and college sports, politics, even wine. He knew a lot of things about a lot of things — he was a Renaissance man and he did it with grace, said his longtime friend Joe Gatto.

“He was the most charismatic man I’ve ever met,” Gatto said.

Hamilton was a two-time, recently reelected president of the Pacific Club in Newport Beach, where Gatto is the general manager. While there, Hamilton was instrumental in launching the Lott IMPACT Trophy, which since 2004 has annually rewarded defensive college football players for both character and on-field performance.

The trophy is in the name of legendary San Francisco 49ers cornerback and safety Ronnie Lott, a pro and college Hall of Famer — the college honor he nabbed for his time at USC in the 1970s and ‘80s, and thanks to Hamilton, a fellow USC grad who helped establish the USC Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994.

“I think one of the things that gave him so much joy with the Lott award is each athlete that he met, he took a piece of them with him,” Lott said in a memorial post by the IMPACT Foundation. “And not everybody understands how to do that the way that John was able to do that.”

IMPACT is an acronym for Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity. Character and sports always went together for Hamilton.

He wasn’t an athlete himself, said his daughter Jill Bertea.

His love of the game — pretty much all games — sparked an interest in memorabilia, which started in 1953 when he was 12 and living in what is now Villa Park. A family friend gave him a football signed by the Look Magazine All-American football team.

His collection mushroomed. In 1994, he opened a museum in Newport Center near the offices of the Hamilton Co., his real estate firm.

The nonprofit Newport Sports Museum displayed a lifetime of collecting: a complete set of President Eisenhower’s golf clubs, each stamped with the five stars of his general’s rank, that Hamilton personally purchased directly from Eisenhower’s wife, Mamie. Shaquille O’Neal’s shoes. Autographed balls from World Series champion teams from at least 1940 to 2002.

Before he closed the museum in 2014, admission was free. The museum ran on sponsors, donations and Hamilton’s personal money.

“I can’t see charging a kid to come in and look at a jersey worn by his or her hero. I don’t want any kid or parent not to enjoy our displays because they can’t afford to pay,” he told The Times in 2004. “This museum isn’t for me. It’s for the kids. We had 4,000 who came by last year to meet with our athletes.”

Those athletes were pros and Olympians who Hamilton and associates brought in to motivate children to stay in school and away from drugs. Because character and sports always went together for Hamilton.

Gatto said his friend of 35 years was tenacious and liked to be right, which he usually was. But he also had integrity, empathy and humility.

He treated everyone from celebrities to bussers with the same respect and his network was vast. When Gatto asked Hamilton if he’d seen the film Ford v. Ferrari he said yes; he knew Carroll Shelby.

Gatto thought Hamilton was invincible and would beat COVID-19.

“Unfortunately,” Gatto said, “nobody is invincible.”

Newport Beach Mayor Will O’Neill met Hamilton through his own civic involvement. He will adjourn the Aug. 25 City Council meeting in Hamilton’s memory.

“John always reminded me of an old story when a blind person asked St. Anthony, ‘Can there be anything worse than losing eyesight?’ St. Anthony replied, ‘Yes, losing your vision,’” O’Neill said. “John never lost his vision and instead dragged people toward what he saw with such vigor that we couldn’t help but enjoy the ride. John’s absence is truly unfathomable to those of us who only got small glimpses into his love of family and community. “

Hamilton, who earned his business degree from USC in 1964, served as the university’s Hall of Fame’s chairman until 2015, when he was inducted himself.

His other charitable and community organizations included Goodwill Industries, Big Brothers, USC Associates, the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation and the Richard Nixon Foundation.

His late mother, Patricia Reilly Hitt, was a friend to Nixon, serving as the first female national co-chair of a presidential campaign for his 1968 run and as an assistant secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, making her the highest ranking woman in the first Nixon administration.

Hamilton is survived by wife Kathy, son John Jr., daughters Kate and Jill, brothers Rick and Gary, sister Corinne and 10 grandchildren.

“He was an incredible grandfather and best friend to his kids,” Bertea said. “Truest, most loyal and devoted husband.”

Everything Hamilton did “spoke to the kind of person we all want to be,” Lott said.

“The reason that the Lott award meant so much to him was he wanted, he always exhibited, the character all of us should want in life — and that is to be a great human being and have love, compassion, joy and appreciation for all human beings.”

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