Terry's Story

“It is not the length of life but the depth of life”-  Ralph Waldo Emerson​​​​​​​​​​​​

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Terrance Neal Hamilton was born February 23, 1971 and was the youngest of eleven children born to the late Isiah Hamilton, Jr. and the late Viola Wright Hamilton He was affectionately known as “Terry”. From the very beginning, Terry was a bright child.  His mother, Viola, in reflecting on him when he was born, cited the observance of the nurse who said that as soon as he was born, while the other babies were crying, he was looking around.  Though he died tragically from gun violence, his impact and depth has had a lasting and memorable impact.  He was a model young man who was mannerable and actively involved in making the community a better place.  He was mild-mannered, loved by his peers and exhibited respect for all persons, particularly the elderly persons in the community.  In high school he played baseball, football, and was a member of the science club. His favorite football team was the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was active in his local church, singing in the youth choir and serving as an usher.  His future aspiration was to join the Navy.

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While his life was cut short, during his time with us, he demonstrated a depth of life that serves as a role model for young people.  Therefore, the intent of Camp Terrance is to encompass these attributes in young people.  We have honored him in the past by participating in the March for Our Lives in Washington, DC on March 24, 2018, bringing awareness to gun violence; establishing the Terrance N. Hamilton STEM Scholarship which was started in 2020; community clean up on March 13, 2021 in Pynes Community and Camp Terrance, a motivational youth program for 6-8th graders which is focused on cooperative learning and setting goals for the future.  We miss your sweet demeanor, kindness, gentleness, and your beautiful smile, but our prayer is that through this program we will honor his memory by uplifting the next generation of young people.