James L. Hamilton

On Tuesday, November 25, 2025, James (Jim) Hamilton, 79, of Falls Church, Virginia, passed away at Inova Fairfax Hospital of metastatic melanoma. He is survived by his wife Julie of Falls Church, Virginia.

Jim was born in June, 1946, in Imperial, Nebraska, to Vasil and Doris (Gage) Hamilton. He moved from Nebraska to Fort Morgan, Colorado, while he was in grade school. He loved to play baseball and was recognized as having the best pitching record in his League during his senior year at Fort Morgan High School. He continued his education at the University of Northern Colorado where he obtained his B.A. and M.A. in Education and Special Education. He married Julie Lind of Fort Morgan in 1966. They moved to the Washington, D.C., area in 1975, where Jim began his twenty-year career with the U.S. Department of Education.

Jim started his career as a special education teacher for the Omaha Public Schools and then proceeded to get his Ph.D. in special education, psychology, and educational research from the University of Missouri. Over the years, he held positions at the Institute for Education Problems, Lesley University, U.S. Department of Education, and the American Institutes for Research. His career included teaching, research, technical assistance, and program administration – all focusing on improving the education of children with disabilities.

Throughout his work and retirement years, he enjoyed building sheds, fixing lawn mowers and tools, reading mysteries, completing crossword puzzles, and helping his friends and neighbors. He was always generous with his time, energy and possessions.

A Remembrance celebration will be planned for a later date.

In lieu of flowers, you may donate to the University of Northern Colorado Foundation online at https://advance.unco.edu/g/give or by mail to the University of Northern Colorado Foundation, 501 20th Street, Campus Box 20, Greeley, CO 80639, indicating on the check memo line that the gift is in memory of James Hamilton.