Necrology

Stuart Pollard Hanson '68

Aug. 15, 1946-Mar. 10, 2023

“I believe that every person should become a creative and realistic contributor to the achievement of a just, peaceful, and united world community.” Thus did Stuart Pollard Hanson ’68, who died on March 10, 2023, in Oakland, Calif., begin the personal essay that accompanied his application for admission to Hamilton. This was a creed that shaped much of his life.

Born in Boston on Aug. 15, 1946, Stu grew up in Littleton, Mass., and came to Hamilton from Littleton High School. On the Hill, he majored in history and was a member of Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. He also worked on The Spectator, served as stage manager for various Charlatan productions, and was a member of the Student Senate. In his senior year, he received the Dean Alfange Prize for writing the best essay on an issue of American constitutional government. It was titled “The Right to Counsel From 1776 to 1967.”

Following graduation, Stu avoided the draft by enlisting in the U.S. Army. He saw duty as a supply sergeant for units of combat engineers in both the U.S. and Germany, thereby avoiding the war in Vietnam. Following his discharge in 1971, he began his career in social service as an anti-poverty organizer for a community mental health center in Lowell, Mass. This work led to his pursuit of a Master of Social Work degree, which he earned at the State University of New York at Stony Brook in 1977. His focus was on research and planning.

Thereafter, Stu departed for Oakland, where he pursued a doctorate in social welfare at the University of California, Berkeley. By 1981, he had completed all coursework and the comprehensive examination prerequisite to writing his dissertation. In that same period, he met Lou Fox, a native of Long Island. They were married in 1983 and had a daughter and a son.

By then, Stu was working for the first of a series of consulting organizations located in the Bay Area performing policy and program evaluation research for federal, state, and local governments. This work included research into strategies for reducing high-risk drinking on college campuses using environments management strategies. The goal was to reduce access to alcohol. The evaluation of the effectiveness of social service programs defined much of Stu’s subsequent career.

Beginning in 1986, he also brought his expertise into the classroom. He became an adjunct faculty member at the University of California, Berkeley, the University of San Francisco, San Jose State University, and California State University, East Bay. His courses included one on social science research methods and another on statistics. His students included graduate students pursuing master’s degrees in social work and public administrators at those four institutions.

Stu described himself as one who played golf badly, tennis ineffectively, and whose reputation as a “home chef” was mixed. Others took issue with this last characterization, stating that he was a gourmet cook who enjoyed preparing meals not only for Lou, but also for their two children, two grandchildren, and friends.

His recollections of his time on the Hill included happy memories of Will Stuart, Sam Pryor, and Chad Worcester, his roommates in South Dorm, a performance by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, and professors David Millar and David Ellis. For Stu, the benefits of a Hamilton education included the development of critical thinking and writing skills that served him well during his career.

Stuart P. Hanson is survived by his wife, two children, and two grandchildren.

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