Edwin K. Hammer

Dr. Edwin King Hammer, son of Thomas Marion and Willie Hammer, was born in Big Spring, Texas, on September 16, 1933, and departed this earth on November 23, 2023.  A service was held at George Carroll Funeral Home on Thursday, November 30, 2023.  Burial followed at Fairview Cemetery.

Dr. Hammer was a graduate of Gainesville High School and was honored as a recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award given by the Gainesville High School Alumni Association.  After graduating high school, he attended the University of Texas in Austin where he was admitted into Plan II honors program for entering freshmen who have outstanding criteria for learning and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree.  After serving in the United States Army during the Korean Conflict, he moved to Topeka, Kansas, and enrolled in the University of Kansas where he received a Masters of Science in Education with emphasis on Education and Teaching of the Gifted and Talented.  While attending the University of Kansas he developed the curriculum for a Gifted and Talented program for the state.  He was then accepted into the doctoral program at the University of Texas and earned his Doctor of Philosophy with emphasis on Other Health Impaired Students with Disabilities.  Never ending his quest for learning, he enrolled at West Texas State University at Canyon and earned a Masters of Education in Professional Mental Health Counseling.

Edwin was an accomplished author, writing articles on disabilities within his field.  He developed a functional behavioral assessment that targeted persons attempting to use their current skills to become productive members of society.  He served as an advisor for the establishment of educational programs for persons with disabilities in Denmark.  He was also a licensed mediator and a Family and Marriage Counselor.  When diagnosed with cancer, he took his interest into serving for fourteen years on the Evaluation Team of the Comprehensive Cancer Control Program funded by the CDC.

His professional career led him first to Southwestern Medical School serving as Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics for Southwestern Medical Center of the University of Texas in Dallas.  He later became a Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the Texas Tech Health Science Center in Amarillo.  He also held a private practice serving individuals with disabilities with the goal of helping them assimilate successfully into society.

Dr. Hammer was preceded in death by his parents and five siblings:  sisters Blanche Rosenberg, Viva Jo Burkhart, and Nina Patrick and two brothers Gerald Hammer and Jimmy Hammer.  He is survived by his sons Mark Hammer (Amy) and Scott Hammer.  He has four grandchildren:  Jacob Hammer, David Hammer, Madison Hammer and Lily Hammer.  He is also survived by sister Judy Nehib (Jim).

Memorial contributions may be made to the Gainesville High School Alumni Association.