“Hail and Farewell” is a tradition I learned
from my days in the US Navy. Military life is
punctuated by comings and goings, often of
seemingly indispensable people; from the wise
master chief who knows everything, to the
rising-star junior officer who just got good at the
job—they come, and they go.
These comings and goings are always bittersweet. While we can’t imagine what life will be
like after the departures, the arrivals bring new
perspectives and important talents—soon we
can’t imagine how we got along without them.
It is with this sense of the bittersweet
that HSLDA bids farewell to one of our long-serving board members, Rogers Hellman,
and welcomes our newest board member,
Abraham Hamilton III.
Rogers Hellman
Rogers Hellman is directly responsible for HSLDA’s charitable work, which we now refer to as HSLDA Compassion Grants. Before Rogers assumed a formal role with HSLDA, he approached us with a vision to provide financial support for widows struggling to continue homeschooling. He provided a substantial seed donation, and that was the start of our grant program.
Thanks to Rogers’ vision, thousands of others have donated to HSLDA Compassion Grants. Since its inception in 1994, the program has provided more than $15 million in funding to over 15,000 homeschooling families going through tough times.
Rogers, named for the famous baseball player Rogers Hornsby, eventually joined the board, where his enthusiasm and creativity helped lead HSLDA’s international efforts to advance homeschool freedom. His huge heart and dogged leadership also resulted in HSLDA working together with homeschoolers in the Black and Hispanic communities, which have seen an explosion of homeschooling following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rogers has the heart of a missionary. He has long been working to improve healthcare in underserved areas of the world through his talents in software development, by combining practical solutions with his zeal to bring the love of Christ to the ends of the earth. As that project continues, Rogers and his beloved wife, Mary, have needed to pare back some of their other commitments.
We will miss them both.
Abraham Hamilton III
Abraham Hamilton III is the general counsel for the American Family Association, where he hosts The Hamilton Corner, a daily radio program focusing on current events from a biblical perspective.
Our founder, Mike Farris, heard him speak at a conference and called me with great excitement. Mike told me that Abraham’s speech was terrific, and that he and his wife Maria are on fire for homeschooling.
At the end of the phone call, Mike asked, “Do you think we should invite him to join the board?” The answer was obvious. Abraham and Maria reflect HSLDA’s commitment to having board members who are currently in the thick of homeschooling. They homeschool their six children, ranging in age from 2 to 13 years old, and are lifetime members of HSLDA.
Abraham’s time on our board has just begun, but we can already tell that he will bring many new contributions. He is here at our office as I write this, spending two days getting acquainted with our staff and programs. We look forward to how the Lord will use him to advance the cause of homeschool freedom as part of the HSLDA board.
