Graceful Giving

For Lynda Hamilton, retirement has turned out to be less an ending than a chance to start anew.

“I am thoroughly enjoying my retirement,” said Hamilton, who taught University classes in business law and international trade. “When you close that door on what you’ve done in the past and then a whole new life opens up, you think, ‘Oh, this is just marvelous!’

“I have four animals, two of which I adopted from the Humane Society,” said Hamilton, “my little beagle, Violet; Baby Jack, my orange cat – he was tiny when he came home and he is enormous now; and two other little cats who showed up in my azaleas. You know how people will drop cats off at farmhouses.” And then there’s her second in command of the farmyard, Sophie the border collie. “Sophie and I preside over the four adoptees, a rooster named Romeo, and a tiny flock of chickens that we just love,” she said. “I fear I have more eggs than I have friends!”

That’s a lot of eggs, because Hamilton has no lack of friends or interests, which range from traveling to studying orchids to economic development to community service.

“I really enjoy what little bit I do with the Humane Society,” she said. “I don’t do as much as I’d like, but I am active with it. I feel such satisfaction that some animals are saved. You feel so horrified at the condition you find some animals, but on the other hand you know that you can work toward spaying and neutering and finding homes for a lot of abandoned dogs and cats.”

She is also active in helping to improve the lot of her fellow humans. “I belong to Altrusa, a service organization here in Statesboro that raises funds so we can give money and otherwise support different local organizations that we think do wonderful work,” said Hamilton. “The projects are serious and we really do raise a lot of money. I think Altrusa is a lovely blend of getting together with friends, enjoying them, and then doing something worthwhile for the community.

“I am thoroughly enjoying my retirement. When you close that door on what you’ve done in the past, a whole new life opens up.” – Lynda Hamilton

“Something that I think I’m as proud of as anything in Statesboro – and all I do is give a little money and some magazines – is the Boys and Girls Club,” she said. “I just can’t get over this beautiful facility where young folks are encouraged to take pride in themselves, meet the public well, and study hard.”

Hamilton has always enjoyed travel. When she was teaching, she made time to study the local cultures, flora and fauna, but most often was engaged in economic development projects for local exporters. Now she combines her appreciation of orchids with that of travel, taking recent trips to China, Ecuador and Newfoundland. She’s planning her fourth journey to Singapore to the International Orchid Conference next year, she said.

“Ever since I was a little girl I thought orchids were gorgeous, and as I got to be an adult I tried to do a little bit with them,” Hamilton said. “When I was named director of Georgia Southern’s Center for International Business Education, a friend of mine, Patricia Saseen, gave me a pot with great sprays of little yellow orchids called Oncidiums or ‘dancing ladies’ and I just loved them. She said, ‘Why don’t you go to the orchid society meeting with me one night?’ I did that and before I knew it, I had orchids in every window sill. It quickly got out of hand.”

Soon thereafter, Hamilton’s late husband, Phillips, bought her a hobby greenhouse for the growing collection. “Now, whenever I go somewhere, it is usually a place where I can see orchids in their micro-environments. Orchids are the main thing that drives my international traveling. If someone has the phrase ‘orchid tour’ in their information, I like to say, ‘Put me down!’”