Posted on 12/06/2004 2:23:56 PM PST by bushisdamanin04
Owner of I-5's 'Uncle Sam' billboard dies at 84
Man's right-wing messages enraged some drivers
Associated Press
November 12, 2004
CURTIS, Wash. – Alfred Hamilton, whose billboard emblazoned with conservative messages engaged drivers on Interstate 5 for decades, has died.
Hamilton, 84, suffered from Parkinson's disease and cancer. He died Tuesday at his home in this southwestern Washington town.
His two-sided "Uncle Sam" billboard dates back to 1971. Over the years, it has carried a litany of messages aimed at politicians Hamilton didn't like as well as homosexuals, Russia, abortion, communism, big government, the United Nations and gun control, to name a few.
"He was a fighter," Sherryl Zurek, one of his daughters, told the (Centralia) Chronicle. "He loved a fight. He loved to argue or discuss."
The family has not yet decided what to do with the billboard, she said.
Born March 31, 1920, Hamilton was raised in nearby Chehalis, attended a one-room school and later studied at what is now Washington State University. He left without graduating during World War II.
"If he graduated, he would have been drafted," Zurek said. "He quit early so he could get a deferment, and he farmed instead of going into the service."
Hamilton married Ruth Knoles in 1942, and the couple had five children. He raised sheep for a time and then switched to turkeys, developing a breed with veterinarian George Duby that was a hit with restaurants in the region.
But he was best known for his billboards.
In 1971, then-state Attorney General Slade Gorton sued Hamilton under the Scenic Vista Act. The case was resolved eight years later in Hamilton's favor.
In 1983, Hamilton and his wife set out on a round-the-world sailboat cruise that took nine years. Tom Bradshaw, pastor of Chehalis First Christian Church, met him after his return.
"He stood about 6-3 or 6-4, and weighed 200 pounds or so," Bradshaw said. "He gave you the feeling he was the kind of man you wouldn't want to mess with."
Hamilton's wife died in 2001. He is survived by his sister, Betty; his children; and 12 grandchildren.
I loved seeing that sign. Sad.
Sounds like he would have made a good Freeper.
What kinds of things did his billboard say?
I heard on the radio today that his family was continuing the billborad.
I'll look for a link. I've seen it probably 50 times or more, but it is hard to recall exactly what it said at any particular time. But he did love to slam BJ.
Mostly great statements about the U.N. He would have made a good Freeper!
DYSLEXICS UNTIE!
"How Many Recounts Does it Take to Determine Gregoire is a Loser?"
Was up over Thanksgiving. Got lots of readership that weekend.
A sad day. Hope the family keeps it up. Or....perhaps Freepers of WA should take it over?
I hope they keep it up. Some of the things were down right insane rants, but I remember when I was I kid driving by and getting excited to see what it said.
On another note, if anybody knows where all the different quotes over the years can be found I'd love to know.
It really is a landmark. I used to get a kick out of that....along with the highway sign for RUSH ROAD! Wonder if anyone ever sent Rush Limbaugh a photo of that.....
If they start up a fund to keep it going I'm sending them $50!
The man lived a nice long, honorable life. His family and friends should be proud.
The Good..........CIA
The Bad............KGB
The Ugly...........IRS
Wow -- a lot of folks are familiar with his sign. Sounds like it's a real Washington State landmark.
Mr. Hamilton was a true trailblazer -- manually posting his comments since 1971.
BTTT
a sad day...
Love that sign! Seen it 50 sixty times over the last 30 years or so, I never say any reference to homosexuals, mostly get out of the UN, and other stuff. I think the author might have made that anti-homosexual up just to make him fit the wacko-prototype....
How come nobody's ever posted pictures of this here?
L8R
I love how they had to put that into the story. I'd love to know if that was the exact quote the daughter gave.
Pray for W and Our Troops
Thanks for the post. It's been 4 yrs. since I last saw the billboard. I always enjoyed seeing what it was going to say when I'd drive by...about once a year when I lived in WA state.
I can't believe I never saw it,where exactly is it?
Great news! I rarely see it anymore -- it's so hard to get out of Seattle on Friday evenings, thanks to traffic, I don't visit family in Oregon anywhere near as much as I used to.
Pray for W and Our Troops
I lived within about 10 miles of the Uncle Sam sign during the late 70's up through the mid-80's. I've driven past it 100's of times. I don't recall any comments aimed at homosexuals, but I wouldn't be surprised if he put some up. I always looked forward to whatever he had to say...it was usually good for a chuckle.
Thanks
Here's one from the archives about homosexuals:
AIDS TURNS FRUITS INTO VEGETABLES.
Egg & I Road
...
RIP - that sign was probably the high-point of the Seattle-Portland run. Lordy, could that get to be a dreadful drive when the rain came down...
I figured someone would come along soon enough and slam him for that.
Yep, I've amost crashed many times while driving South and reading the Northbound message and vv. :)
During one of his court battles, the sign read:
"THERE ARE NO BILLBOARDS IN RUSSIA, CUBA, OR COMMUNIST CHINA."
As always, in capital letters.
We seem to think it's what couch potatos sit on.
Sad that we lost this great American.
I think his sons have been maintaining the sign for some time, at least since it moved to the new location.
My brother Ramius has the honor of having been threatened by Hamilton once ;~D
BUMP to the WA STATE ping list!
Many of my wife's family were not drafted because they were farmers during WWII. IIRC only one of the males who would have been of age was in the service in WWII and only because he joined up in the summer of 41.
Don't forget that farming was not the, for lack of a better word "productive", enterprise that it is now.
Regards
alfa6 ;>}
I'll miss his comments, always looked forward to seeing what he had to say, especially his moderate stance on the UN.
He was a crochety old bastard... and it was certainly an honor that he picked me and my dog to point a gun at and get all red in the face...
Heh.
He didn't run me off when I met him, but then I was buying hay, not trespassing :~D
"Let's Keep the Canal and Give Them Kissinger."
Oh NO!!!! I am so sad. I loved that board. We looked forward to it. May God bless his soul.
Well... I didn't *know* I was trespassing at the time. He could've invested in some fencing if he felt that strongly about it.
:-)
But I always looked forward to reading the signs, nonetheless.
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