Maxine B. Hamilton

Maxine B. Hamilton, known to all as Mackie, was born on June 21, 1923, in San Francisco, California. She died at her home in Little Rock, Arkansas, on November 24, 2012. She was predeceased by her husband, W.P. (Dubb) Hamilton Jr., who died in 2000. She is survived by her two daughters, Susan Hamilton Johnson and her husband, E.R. Johnson of Mountain Home, Arkansas, and Catherine Hamilton Mayton and her husband, Michael R. Mayton of Little Rock, Arkansas. She is also survived by her three beloved grandsons, William Hamilton Johnson of Aspen, Colorado, John Edward Johnson of Denver, Colorado and Samuel Barrier Johnson of Saint Louis, Missouri. Mackie was named after her paternal grandfather, Maximillian Bulski, who immigrated from Germany and settled in the Napa Valley. She attended school in San Francisco and spent her summers at the family ranch in Napa Valley riding her favorite horse, Mary, given to her by her father. Mackie was a competitive tennis player in her youth and remained a player and avid fan her entire life. Mackie moved to Arkansas after she married Dubb Hamilton, whom she met while he was stationed in San Francisco during World War II. When asked why she left California and moved to Arkansas, she always said, "Dubb Hamilton was very handsome in his military uniform!" She loved her adopted state and all of its natural beauty. She was a member of the Country Club of Little Rock, the Arkansas Arts Center, the Fine Arts Club, and served as Chairman of the second Beaux-Arts Ball, which later became known as Tabriz. She was a founding member of the Arkansas Unit of the Herb Society of America, a long time Pulaski County Master Gardener and a member of Partners for Pinnacle. She was also a founding member of the Arkopolis Investors Club. Mackie was a member of the Women's Emergency Committee to Open Our Schools (WEC) during the Little Rock Public Schools integration crisis, which worked along with the Stop This Outrageous Purge (STOP) campaign to recall members of the Little Rock School Board who opposed integration of the schools. At the time of her death, Mackie was a Trustee of the Stella Boyle Smith Trust. As a Trustee, she followed the tradition established by Stella Boyle Smith by helping countless projects take shape, from gardens to music halls to hospital additions. She used her judgment and wisdom to make this state a better place for many. There will be a reception for friends and family at the home of Reverend Susan Sims Smith and Dr. G. Richard Smith, 1809 Canal Pointe, from 12 to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, November, 28th. The burial will be a private graveside service. The family requests that memorials be sent to the Pulaski County Master Gardeners, 2901 West Roosevelt Road, Little Rock, Arkansas 72204. Mackie loved Arkansas and was a great ambassador for this beautiful state, but she always said when she died she hoped to hear the fog horns and smell the sea once again of San Francisco Bay.