John Robert Hamilton Memorial Scholarship

The John Robert Hamilton Memorial Scholarship is available to give financial support to postgraduate students taking their history Masters degree at the University of Stirling. The annual scholarship of £1,000 is, in the words of the donor Ruth Wright, intended to ‘help to relieve the financial pressures, which make academic life so difficult.’

The creation of the scholarship

This scholarship was set up in 2009 by Ruth Wright to help fund the postgraduate study of Scottish History as a tribute to John Robert Hamilton who died suddenly, without warning on 29th April 2008, mid-way through his Masters of Research degree programme at the University of Stirling.

John Hamilton’s working life

When John left school he was advised to go to university and choose a degree, which would help him in his working life. Unfortunately, he got bored with business studies and left without a qualification to become a management trainee. John trained and studied hard and qualified as an accountant, but he was a people person so human resource qualifications were soon added to his portfolio. John was chosen as a trouble-shooter and went on to successfully turn around several companies before taking over the engineering firm Ferrostatics International and steering it to become a viable exporter with customers scattered around the world.

John Hamilton and History

John was passionate about history, especially Scottish History, but had a keen interest in the period of the Roman Empire, although this was more of a hobby than a serious subject for academic study. He began studying for an Open University degree in 2002 and spent his first summer school at the University of Stirling. With his usual dedication and drive John was awarded an honours degree in 2006, the same time it would take to achieve it in full-time study! After taking advanced Latin and a new Scottish history course through the OU in 2007, John decided to apply to do his Masters degree at Stirling. It was to be the icing on the cake of his academic studies and he was really excited about doing original research and translating texts that had never been read since they were written in the 16th century. He enjoyed university life, meeting the academic staff and his fellow students, and the challenge of the course work. Sadly, John was never to achieve his final goal but he was proud to be a postgraduate at Stirling.

Ruth Wright, John Hamilton’s partner

‘My hope is this scholarship will allow future students the opportunity to continue their studies in Scottish History and help to relieve the financial pressures, which make academic life so difficult. John was a very special person and I hope this allows John’s memory to live on and even if you never had the pleasure of meeting him at least you know his name, a little bit about him and can put a face to that name.’