The Hamilton Family
Charlotte
Monona (Hamilton) Nafziger
known as Monona
2 March 1907, in Winnipeg,
Manitoba, Canada
Elmer William
Hamilton
Ida Pearl (Richmond) Hamilton
Ralph
Otto Nafziger on 18 June 1932. Ralph was born on 18 April
1896, in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Albert Nafziger and Emmy
(Brennermann) Nafziger. He died on 25 September 1973 in Madison,
Wisconsin. A summary
biography of Ralph Nafziger has been written by William David Sloan in Makers of the Media Mind pp296-301,
describing him as "one of the founding giants in communication research
methods". Professor Nafziger wrote a number of books, including International News and the Press (1940), An Introduction to Journalism Research
(1949), Introduction to
Mass Communications Research (1958) and The Frontiers of Journalism: A Symposium Honoring
Professor Ralph O. Nafziger on the Occasion of His Retirement
(1968).
Journalist
1 April 2005,
in Madison, Dane county, Wisconsin, United States, aged 98
Nafziger, Charlotte Monona
Hamilton
MADISON - Charlotte
Monona Hamilton Nafziger, age 98, died peacefully on Friday, April 1,
2005. Monona, as she was always known, was born on March 2, 1907, in
Winnipeg, Canada, the daughter of beloved parents, E. William and Ida
Pearl (Richmond) Hamilton. A graduate of St. Mary's Academy in
Winnipeg, Monona received the A.C.T.M. degree in 1925 from the Toronto
Conservatory of Music, which also awarded her its nationwide silver
medal, A gifted musician, she performed and taught both piano and
cello. As a result of a depression in western Canada, her father, a
prominent magazine editor, moved his family in 1925 to Madison, where
both he and Monona's mother had strong roots. (Monona was a grandniece
of Charlotte and Susan Richmond, who founded the Wisconsin Academy, and
of T.C. Richmond, a prominent lawyer and gubernatorial candidate, whose
gift of deer to the city of Madison marked the beginning of Vilas Park
Zoo). In 1928, Monona received her B.A. degree in journalism from the
University of Wisconsin. Launching her professional career just in time
for a second, even worse depression, this time in the United States,
she was nevertheless successful from the start. Directly after
graduation, she was appointed assistant society editor of The Capital
Times and was quickly promoted to society editor. Among her duties at
the ripe age of 21, she posed as "Aunt Anna" in dispensing advice to
the lovelorn. As she later observed, "I was relieved when that
experience was over." In her next position, as assistant editor with
the Wisconsin Power and Light Company, she learned what needed to be
learned about steam generators and other technology and became the
first woman to serve as general office chairman there, On her marriage
in 1932 to Ralph O. Nafziger, then an assistant professor in the UW
School of Journalism, Monona largely suspended her writing career to
devote herself to marriage and the home. She did however, write a
weekly column for the Milwaukee Sentinel on Madison activities. Her
partnership with her husband in journalism circles was renowned at the
UW during the 30s, later at the University of Minnesota, and then a
second time at the UW when her husband returned in 1949 as Director of
the School of Journalism. While raising her family, to which she was
utterly devoted, Monona somehow found time to undertake substantial
writing, editing, and civic leadership in both Minneapolis and Madison.
For example, she planned and edited the first Directory of the
University League here. Among her numerous leadership positions, she
served as a board member of the Madison Civics Club, Madison YWCA,
Wisconsin Division of the American Association of University Women
(A.A.U.W.), Women in Communications, the National League of American
Pen Women, and several PTA organizations. In honor of her
accomplishments, Monona was listed in "Who's Who of American Women."
Her enthusiasm for international education was manifested in endless
hospitality to foreign students, service on the executive committee of
the Friends of International Students, and travels abroad. Her travels
were highlighted by lengthy sojourns in Vienna (1961), Berlin (1964)
and New Delhi (1966 to 1967) during her husband's professional work in
those locations. Monona was a longtime member of the First
Congregational Church, Madison, and for more than 50 years, of Chapter
AX of the P.E.O. Sisterhood. She was an avid birdwatcher, gardener,
reader and cookie baker. Above all, her family came first. She is
survived by her two sons, Ralph of Albany, Oregon, and James of Salem,
Oregon; as well as by several nieces and nephews. She was predeceased
by her parents; husband; and a sister, Marjorie. Memorial services will
be held at FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, CHAPEL, 1609 University Ave.,
at 2 p.m. on Friday April 29, 2005. In lieu of flowers, contributions
may be made to the Ralph O. Nafziger Lecture Fund at the University of
Wisconsin Foundation, Chapter AX of the P.E.O. Sisterhood or the First
Congregational Church.
Cress Funeral & Cremation Service 3610
Speedway Road (608) 238-3434 www.cressfuneralservice.com
(source: Capital Times (Madison, WI) - 5 Apr 2005)
SHE TOOK
FACULTY WIFE ROLE TO HEART CHARLOTTE MONONA NAFZIGER, WIDOW OF
LATE JOURNALISM SCHOOL DIRECTOR, HAD BEEN A JOURNALIST HERSELF.
Charlotte
Monona Nafziger was every bit the textbook faculty wife. She was a
devoted mother to two sons, kept a nice home in Shorewood Hills and
graciously entertained her husband's University of Wisconsin colleagues.
"She
was always keenly aware of anything that went on at the university,"
said Susan Adams of Monona Nafziger, her close friend and neighbor.
She
was a journalist herself, yet the career of her husband -- Ralph O.
Nafziger, third director of the School of Journalism -- came first.
And
she stayed committed to the university and the School of Journalism
after her husband's death in 1973. She had planned to be at its
centennial celebrations this weekend, her son said.
Instead, a
memorial service for Nafziger, who died at age 98 April 1 at UW
Hospital, will be at 2 p.m. Friday at the First Congregational Church.
Her
son, James Nafziger of Salem, Ore., said his mother displayed her
intellectual curiosity daily. "Always seek the truth," was her motto,
he said.
Nafziger, a 1928 graduate of the School of
Journalism,
was society editor for The Capitol Times before she married her husband
on June 18, 1932.
After her marriage,
Monona Nafziger wrote a
weekly column on Madison life for the Milwaukee Sentinel, but once she
had children, her writing career was largely personal.
"She kept
wonderful diaries," Adams said. "When my husband was invited to Japan,
she loaned me her diary (from her travels there) so I would have a
little more idea of the culture. It was exactly as she described."
She also ran "a superb clipping service" for him
and his brother Ralph as well as friends, James Nafziger said.
"She
really kept in touch with families of journalism faculty when they
moved away," he said. "She would always keep them in touch by sending
them clippings from the (Wisconsin) State Journal."
She was a
generous friend. When Nafziger noticed that her neighbors were
overwhelmed, she would cook two casseroles -- the extra for Adams and
her husband.
She cherished books and belonged to several
reading
clubs. She was involved in the University League and was a board member
of the Madison Civics Club, Madison YWCA, Wisconsin Division of the
American Association of University Women, Women in Communications and
the National League of American Pen Women.
Monona Nafziger had
moved from Shorewood Hills to Attic Angel Retirement Community. She
spent each winter in Oregon with James and Ralph, who lives in Albany,
Ore.
She had just returned home when she fell ill.
Adams said her friend was private and modest, and
she didn't put on airs about her family's background or money.
"She
had a strong value system," Adams said. "Integrity. She was one of
those friends you could tell anything and you don't have to worry it's
going to be told to the world. I just loved her."
Elmer
William
Hamilton
7 June 1879, in Wisconsin,
United States
Alexander
Hamilton
Clara
Belle (Miller) Hamilton
Graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1904 with a Bachelor of
Arts in Commerce.
Ida Pearl Richmond on 30 August
1905
Magazine Editor. He was an inventor, lecturer and writer.
8 August 1961, in Madison, Dane
county, Wisconsin
Forest
Hill Cemetery, Madison, Dane county, Wisconsin
Elmer emigrated to Canada in 1904. As
a result of a depression in western Canada, E. William moved his family
in 1925 to Madison, Wisconsin, where both he and Ida Pearl had strong
roots.
1880:
Arena, Iowa county, Wisconsin
1906: Avoca
Block, cnr Kennedy & Sargent, Winnipeg, Manitoba
1907:
Winnipeg, Manitoba (birth of daughter Charlotte)
1925: Madison,
Wisconsin (noted in obituary of daughter Charlotte)
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