Necrology

John Thomas Battin '64

Jul. 25, 1942-Apr. 9, 2023

John Thomas Battin ’64 died on April 9, 2023, in Fort Myers, Fla., where he had resided since the death of his wife, Evelyn, in 2008. Born in Albany, N.Y., on July 25, 1942, he grew up in nearby Glenmont and, following studies at the Albany Academy, came to Hamilton from the Lawrenceville School in New Jersey. 

On the Hill, he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity and majored in English. He played end on the football team during his first three years at Hamilton and was a catcher on the baseball team as a freshman, sophomore, and senior. He did not play football as a senior because he wanted to participate in a production by the Charlatans. Also in his final year, John was editor of The Continental, a member of Pentagon, and vice president of his fraternity, as well as on the Honor Court and on Nous Onze.

Following graduation, John accepted a teaching position at Saugerties (N.Y.) High School for one year. In addition to teaching English, he also coached the freshman football and baseball teams. In the mid-’60s, the Vietnam War was intensifying and, after much reflection, John resigned his teaching position to enlist in the U.S. Marines. Upon completing basic training and advanced training in artillery, he was deployed to Vietnam in July 1966 and was stationed for a year in Quang Tri Province in I Corps.

On his way back to America, John stopped off in Hawaii to marry Evelyn Du Mary whom he had known since childhood. They had three sons. By July 1967, he was stationed in Quantico, Va., attached to the Marine Corps Landing Force Development Center. In 1968, John was honorably discharged with the rank of sergeant, having been awarded the Navy Achievement Medal with Combat “V,” a designation that recognizes individuals who were exposed to personal danger while directly participating in combat operations.

John and his family returned to Albany where he began a career in banking as an assistant cashier in the State Bank of Albany. Later, he became an analyst in the bank’s credit department; in 1972, he advanced to being its manager. Later, he was involved in estate planning and was a trust officer. After the bank was acquired by Norstar and renamed the Norstar Bank of Upstate New York, John continued to thrive in his career. By 1985, he was vice president for commercial loans, and in 1992, he became vice president for lending at the Herkimer County Trust Co.

John was very active in community service. He served on the board of the Equinox Youth Shelter and on Project Equinox. He was a member of the Tri-County Council of Vietnam Era Veterans and treasurer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Committee, a group whose efforts produced the New York Vietnam Memorial, which was dedicated in 1984, the first such memorial created by a state. Anticipating the design of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., it lists on a series of panels the names of all New Yorkers who died in the conflict. 

In 2007, John retired from Herkimer County Trust. Sadly, Evelyn died the following year, and he left the Albany area for Fort Myers, where he continued his social activism, working with homeless veterans through a program coordinated by the Veterans Administration and the American Red Cross. He was also active in the local chapter of Veterans for Peace and in the Lee County Fossil Club, an interest he attributed to the influence of Professor of Geology David Hawley. He also played golf.

John was a devoted Hamilton alumnus. Even before he graduated, he helped to establish the Hamilton College Class of 1964 Fund, the balance of funds for which was to be donated to the College on the occasion of the class’s 25th reunion in 1989. It was at the time an initiative without precedent. He also served on the Alumni Council and on his class’s reunion planning and gift committees and was an admission volunteer.

Hamilton was, as John wrote in his 40th reunion yearbook, “an introduction to ‘the progress of arts and civility,’ [quoting Samuel Johnson]. As one looks back, our good fortune was to meet some terrific people there — real human beings.” In addition to Professor Hawley, John had high regard for George Nesbitt, Edwin Barrett, and Dwight Lindley.

John T. Battin is survived by his three sons.

Necrology Home