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Man who put '!' in Hamilton dies at 89
Saturday, December 06, 2008
HAMILTON — The man behind the punctuation mark that brought international attention to Hamilton preferred to keep a low profile.
Stewart "Stew" Jones had the idea to promote Hamilton by adding an exclamation point to the city's name in the mid-1980s. While Jones' gimmick gave the city national and international attention, the same could not be said for Jones, who died Wednesday, Dec. 3, at The Fort Hamilton Hospital at age 89.
"He never took credit for things. It wasn't generally known until several years later," said Jim Blount, historian and former JournalNews editor.
Butler County Commissioner Gregory Jolivette said Jones' idea was inspired by "Oklahoma!," the musical. Jolivette, then-mayor of Hamilton, said people often mistakenly think the punctuation idea was his.
But Jones didn't go unnoticed by all: He was named among 50 "Amazing Americans" by Newsweek magazine, which stated: "Since Hamilton's founding in 1791, its illustrious daughters and sons have ranged from Fannie Hurst to Ray Combs. None has done more to gain his hometown celebrity than Stewart Jones."
"There was no better communicator than Stew ... verbally, in writing and how to say it," said Jim Mayer, director of Berkeley Square retirement community, where Jones lived. "That was his whole life, not what you said, but how you say it. Not Hamilton, but Hamilton!"
While there was no strong opposition before the name change, it drew a mixed reception in the community. But it did have the newspaper's backing, Blount said.
"We knew it was a gimmick, but it worked," he said, demonstrated by his travels to Italy more than 10 years after the exclamation point was added to Hamilton. "It was the first thing they mentioned. They thought it clever. ... Obviously, it had staying power."
Hamilton is believed to be the only U.S. city to legally adopt an exclamation point. However, it was not accepted by mapmakers.
Visitation for Jones is noon to 2 p.m. Monday, Dec. 8, at Weigel Funeral Home, 980 NW Washington Blvd., Hamilton, followed by a funeral service at 2 p.m.
