Dana Hamel, University’s Most Generous Benefactor, Passes Away at 94
His philanthropy was transformational for UNH, and aimed to strengthen his beloved Granite State
Friday, September 12, 2025
Dana Hamel smiles while interacting with three female students

When longtime philanthropist Dana Hamel sat down for an interview with UNH in 2023, he wanted to talk about his life and career and to share words of wisdom from lessons he learned along the way.

He was 92 at the time and, so, the stories, lessons and anecdotes were plentiful — from his professional success in business and investing, to his time spent growing up in Haverhill, Massachusetts, his travels to some 70 countries around the globe, and memories made with family and friends from Lake Winnipesaukee to Florida and other states near and far.

It was surprising, then, that one of his biggest life lessons focused not on that storied past — but on the future.

“I have a philosophy that you just don’t look backwards, you should always look ahead, with hope. I’ve always believed that optimists always have more fun than pessimists.”

Hamel, whose optimism for the future took shape here at UNH through his philanthropic support of the next generation of leaders and doers in the Granite State, passed away on Sept. 4, 2025, at the age of 94.

Hamel and his family have been among the 鶹app’s most steadfast and generous supporters, contributing more than $50 million to UNH over the course of nearly three decades. Most notable among his donations: a gift to complete the Hamel Recreation Center, a gift to endow the Hamel Center for Undergraduate Research, two gifts (in 2007 and 2014) to create and then expand the Hamel Scholars and Hamel Scholarships programs, and most recently, a transformational gift of $20 million to support the creation of the Hamel Honors and Scholars College, which opened in the fall of 2024.

Dana Hamel grasps hands with a female student as the two smile at each other
Hamel called his investment in UNH students 'the best investment I've ever made in my life.'

“Having achieved great success professionally, Dana Hamel wanted nothing more than to give back and support future generations. He supported UNH because he wanted hard-working students to have the opportunity to thrive at a world-class university,” UNH President Elizabeth Chilton says. “He once said that as he got to the end of the road, he wanted to be able to say that he made a difference. The students that his generosity supported are a testament to just how very much he did so.”

Hamel himself talked often about making a difference at UNH through his support.

“I’ve always said that when you invest in scholarships, you’re investing in the life of that student and everything they’ll accomplish well beyond college throughout their life,” he had shared. “This is the reason why my investment in the students in the Hamel Scholars Program is the best investment I’ve ever made in my life.”

It was an impressive statement coming from Hamel, who had an accomplished career based on his talent for risk taking and shrewd decision making in investing and finance.

EARLY LIFE

Dana Hamel was born in April 1931 in Haverhill, Massachusetts, the younger son of Arthur Hamel and Pauline (Little) Hamel. His brother, Stanley, was four years older. And while Dana recalled a happy childhood, he also described a watershed moment of loss, when his mother died just before he entered eighth grade. It left him believing he was “on my own from that point on,” he shared. Her death would

prove to be a milestone that made Hamel independent and determined throughout his life. It was during his childhood in Haverhill that he met two influential people: friend Martin Chooljian and “the girl next door,” Kathryn “Kay” Poore. He and Chooljian attended Harvard and Harvard Business School before founding a business together. He and Kay would marry in 1953 and go on to raise three children: David, Douglas and Karen.

Following military service and a few years of work with Dow Chemical, Valtek Plastics and as an independent investor, Hamel and Chooljian formed Penn Corporation in 1964. At its height, the consumer products and specialty paper goods company had products in more than 22,000 outlets. The partners also sought out investment opportunities together during the company’s 20-year run.

Dana and Kay were married 50 years before she passed away in 2003. In 2006, he would be married again, this time to Karol Tyler. Karol and Dana split their time between their homes in Florida and the summer home in Tuftonboro, New Hampshire, entertaining friends and family, and supporting local organizations (in both states) such as hospitals, historical societies and libraries beyond their UNH philanthropy.

HAMEL'S UNH LEGACY

At UNH, the Hamel name adorns buildings and programs, but Dana’s legacy goes much deeper than brick and mortar.

Mark Huddleston, who was president of UNH from 2007 to 2018 and worked closely with Hamel to create the Hamel Scholars program, remembers Hamel’s motivation wasn’t only about the students he would be helping with scholarships.

“In my experience, most donors think about how a gift to the university will expand opportunities for students — by creating a scholarship, endowing a professorship, funding a lecture series, or even helping to construct a new classroom building. Dana clearly thought about these things, but his philanthropic vision was much, much broader,” explains Huddleston. “Dana’s giving was ultimately directed to the state of New Hampshire, a place he dearly loved. He knew that the future of the state was only as bright as the young people who chose to plant themselves here. Remember, Dana was, above all, an investor, and an incredibly shrewd one at that. He knew his investment in UNH students would pay perpetual dividends in the physicians, engineers, scientists, teachers and business executives who would stay to serve the people of the Granite State.”

Dana Hamel, wearing a hard hat, puts his arm around the shoulder of a male student while walking outside a building under construction
Hamel visited during the renovation of huddleston hall for the creation of thehamel honors and scholars college.

Hamel’s belief in giving back started early: As a youngster, he would donate half of his weekly allowance — 10 cents — to Sunday school every week. It was there that he had a Sunday school teacher who told the students he was a gravedigger but that he gave it his all, calling himself “the best gravedigger in this part of the world.”

“I never forgot that; he was saying don’t judge people by what they do or their wealth,” Hamel once recalled. “He taught me that wealth has nothing to do with who you are as a person; it’s what you do with your life that illustrates what kind of person you are.”

Hamel Scholars can trace their successes at UNH and beyond to those early life lessons.

Paige Balcom ’16, a Hamel Scholar and mechanical engineering major here, remembers Hamel’s generosity — and the first time they met. “I was a little bit nervous,” she recalls. “But he was so warm and easy to talk to. He was genuinely interested in talking with students, and he always shared great wisdom. He always said, ‘Life is all about risk,’ which encouraged me to try building new ideas.” Balcom has since earned a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering, become a Fulbright Scholar and co-founded Takataka Plastics in Uganda, recycling plastic waste into consumer goods, and helping to build the local economy through new job creation.

“I am incredibly grateful for Mr. Hamel’s investment in my life, and I will continue to pay it forward impacting the next generation of students in honor of his legacy. I hope and believe that all the Hamel Scholars will continue striving to make the world a better place and give Mr. Hamel an impactful return on what he called ‘his greatest investment.’”

Hamel was connected to UNH in ways that went beyond his own monetary contributions. First as a proud Wildcat parent and grandparent: his daughter, Karen Simas, graduated from UNH in 1988, and grandson Corbin Simas graduated in 2020.

As a longtime UNH Foundation board member, he was one of three members who led the Celebrate 150 campaign from 2011 to 2018, and he served as a member of the UNH Foundation Board’s Investment Committee, advising the university on how to invest its endowment. He received the UNH Hubbard Family Award for Service to Philanthropy in 2012, as well as the New Hampshire State Merit Award from the New England Board of Higher Education in 2016.

It was through his UNH Foundation work that fellow board member (and fellow Celebrate 150 campaign chair) Marcy Carsey ’66 got to know him — and the more she got to know, she recalls, the more she was impressed.

“Dana is the kind of guy you would want to run a nation, a company, anything,” Carsey says. “There was a calmness to him, and a real sense of his ability to prioritize what’s important and what’s not important. I’ll remember just what a warm and wonderful guy he was, and always sweet. You could just feel it when you were in the same room with him.”

Lynn Wiatrowski ’81 served with Carsey and Hamel as fellow chair of the Celebrate 150 campaign and recalls benefiting greatly from his mentorship.

“He never sought the limelight. Instead, he led through action, sage counsel and countless conversations with students. Indeed, his focus always returned to students and the belief that investing in their success would yield returns for generations to come.

“A man of few words, when Dana spoke, we all listened — and what he shared was always insightful, inspiring and strategic. It is impossible to measure the impact of Dana Hamel’s guidance; equally impossible is finding the words to convey my admiration for Dana, and gratitude for the privilege of knowing and working with him. Dana leaves behind a legacy beyond compare, and he will remain forever in our hearts.”

Portrait of Dana Hamel in a blue sport coat seated with his legs crossed in front of a body of water

Hamel considered life “a series of chapters,” and in recent years fully recognized that “old age is one of those chapters.

“Every time you enter a new chapter you start over again. Old age can be fun if you approach it that way; forget about what you used to be able to do, and think about what you can do,” he said during an

interview last year. “When you enter the last chapter, family, friends and memories become the most important part of your life, and I’m really enjoying that last chapter so far.”

For those at the university who knew Hamel best, his “UNH chapter,” was one of great meaning and impact.

Huddleston recalls talking with Hamel about his preference for transformational gifts to UNH instead of, say, Harvard, his own alma mater?

“I know Dana had warm feelings toward Harvard, but he always said that while Harvard would certainly take his money and put it to good use, he could make much more of an impact — on young people, on an educational institution, and on a state — by giving to the 鶹app,” Huddleston recalls. “As always, he was absolutely right.”

(Note: You can read the obituary published by Dana Hamel's family.)

Photographer: 
Jeremy Gasowski | UNH Marketing | jeremy.gasowski@unh.edu | 603-862-4465
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