WHAT:
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer will join District 5 City Commissioner Regina I. Hill and community members to unveil a plaque to honor and memorialize former City of Orlando Recreation Division Manager, Emery Hamilton, at the Emery Hamilton Sports Complex.
Among his many accomplishments, Hamilton implemented the city’s Summer Food Program for youth that ensures every youth receives a nutritious lunch and snack at city summer camps. The program has since expanded to serve more than 200,000 meals a year to children in need.
Prior to joining the City of Orlando in 1988, Hamilton rose to the rank of Captain in the United States Army where he served as Troop Commander throughout the United States and in six foreign countries. He served three tours of combat duty as a member of the Green Berets during the Vietnam War.
Later, Hamilton was instrumental in recognizing the contributions of Orlando’s Vietnamese-American community by arranging for the Mayor to proclaim March 22, 2004 as Vietnamese-American Heritage and Freed Flag Day in the City of Orlando. This proclamation was the official symbol of support for the efforts of the Vietnamese-American community to promote freedom and democracy.
In 2005, one year after his passing, Hamilton was honored for this and other efforts he implemented to ensure that youth in city programs receive all the help and assistance they need to learn, grow and thrive, with the renaming of the West 50 Soccer and Rugby Fields to the Emery Hamilton Sports Complex.
For more than 35 years, the Emery Hamilton Sports Complex has been home to a variety of youth sports leagues, including football, lacrosse and soccer, serving annually about 1,000 children of Orlando.