by the Missouri Department
of Conservation
In his later years, Max C. Hamilton sometimes would get misty as he savored the panoramic view of his beloved Grand River country from atop a hill on his farm northwest of Chillicothe.
“It’s hard to leave this old world,” he mused one day, “it’s so beautiful.”
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When Hamilton did leave this world on Nov. 12, 2006, at the age of 89, he left it more beautiful than he found it. He cherished nature as a hunter, an angler and a naturalist, and he served it as a hard-working journalist and a much-honored citizen conservationist. His legacy gained official recognition Dec. 14 with his induction into Missouri’s Conservation Hall of Fame.
Hamilton’s induction was celebrated at a ceremony in conjunction with the Missouri Conservation Commission’s December meeting in Jefferso City. He is among 32 Missourians who have been honored for lifetime contributions to conservation in Missouri since establishment of the Hall of Fame in 1988.
Hamilton’s conservation involvements included pivotal roles in deer, turkey and ruffed grouse restoration, founding the first Missouri chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation and serving as director, president and chairman of the board of the NWTF. He worked for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for several years, acquiring land for Smithville Lake and Truman Lake.
Hamilton was outdoor editor for the Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune for more than 50 years and continued writing an outdoor column for years after retirement as the newspaper’s outdoor editor emeritus. He was a long-time member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America and a past president of the Missouri Outdoor Writers Association and served on the board of directors of the National Research Foundation.
His many honors included the Conservation Federation of Missouri’ Wildlife Conservation-ist of the Year Award, the Missouri Chapter of The Wildlife Society’s Conservationist of the Year Award, and the NWTF’s C.B. McCloud Distinguished Service Award and Roger Latham Award. The NWTF commemorated his service by naming a room for him at its national headquarters in Edgefield, SC.
His 300-acre farm overlooking the Thompson River was a showcase of conservation practices for deer, turkey, upland game and waterfowl, and he hosted many formal and impromptu tours of the area to pass on sound land-management principles to others.
Retired Resource Conservation-ist Gary M. Fak said these and other conservation achievements earned him the reputation of being “The Grandfather of Conservation in north Missouri.”
“Max instilled the conservation ethic in thousands of people, both young and old,” wrote Fak, “with his soft-spoken but sincere words of his love of the land, wildlife and natural resources. … Having personally spent 32 years of my career working in conservation, I found Max to be the most dedicated conservationist I have ever met. He truly talked the talk and walked the walk.”
Anyone may nominate candidates for the Conservation Hall of Fame. Nominees are screened by a committee appointed by the director of the Missouri Department of Conservation. The committee consists of two current Conservation Department employees, two retirees and the president and executive director of the Conser-vation Federation of Missouri.
The Missouri Conservation Commission selects inductees from candidates recommended by the committee. For more information, or to request nomination forms, write to Director, Missouri Department of Conservation, PO Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180.