Alumna Honors Mother’s Memory With Donation to New College

May 18, 2012 — With a generous donation from the Dr. Christine Hamilton-Hall ’78 and the Stanley Newmark family, New College will name and dedicate its dock behind College Hall in memory of Hamilton-Hall’s mother, Joan Marciak Newmark. The Newmarks made Sarasota their home in 1981.

“Throughout my adolescence in St. Louis, my mother made our home the place other children felt comfortable congregating,” Hamilton-Hall says about dedicating the dock. “When the New College library was at College Hall, I took comfort in taking a break from my studies to sit on the dock and watch the sunset. So it is fitting that my mother’s memory be kept alive at New College at the best place on campus to hang out and/or watch the sunset.”
New College’s dock is currently being rebuilt as part of the Seawall Restoration Project. Located on Sarasota Bay, the dock was built originally in the 1920s as part of the estate of circus magnate Charles Ringling, whose mansion is now College Hall.
Hamilton-Hall credits New College for preparing her for her future challenges in earning her D.M.D. from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine and her M.D. from Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons. At New College, Dr. Hamilton-Hall worked with several professors — Alfred Beulig, Peter Buri and Nicholas Passell — along with Sarasota oral surgeon Dr. Brian Murphy on research about orthognathic, or jaw, surgery and the psychological impact on patients who undergo treatment for congenital facial anomalies. She wrote a “Handbook of Orthognathic Surgery” for her senior thesis before graduating from New College with a bachelor’s degree in biology.
Hamilton-Hall completed her general surgery internship and oral and maxillofacial surgery residency at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center where she specialized in bone grafting, dental surgery, implantology, cosmetic facial surgery and treatment of congenital facial deformities. Hamilton-Hall is the owner of and chief surgeon at The Aesthetic and Maxillofacial Surgery Associates of Darien in Connecticut. She has been in private practice since 1995 and is an assistant professor at Columbia University and New York Presbyterian Medical Center in Manhattan. Hamilton-Hall also founded Darien Cares, a nonprofit organization through which children with facial deformities can be treated even if they lack medical insurance or financial resources to cover the surgical procedure.
“My mother raised me to value honesty, self-sufficiency, consideration and respect toward myself and others, as well as hard work,” Hamilton-Hall says. “She instilled upon me the importance of judging your achievements by your abilities rather than comparing yourself to others or judging others. These qualities are the foundation of New College.”
For more information about naming opportunities and other ways to support continued academic excellence, contact the New College Foundation at 941-487-4800 or [email protected].
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