Cumberlands Couples

Tracey Hamilton, ’90, and Amy (Taylor) Hamilton, ’90, met during their freshman year at Cumberlands and never looked back.

The day before their first date, they drove to Richmond with a group of friends to go dancing because that wasn’t yet allowed at Cumberlands. But when they arrived, they had to show an ID to get into the building, and – wouldn’t you know it – Tracey had forgotten his back at school. The whole group was sent home, and Amy wasn’t too happy about it. To make it up to her, Tracey called the next morning and mentioned that one of their friends was singing at church that day. “Want to go with me?” he asked. She accepted. The frustration of the previous night melted away, they had a great time together, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Tracey is musical, and he played in a Christian rock band (a relatively new genre at the time) at the college between his studies and his work as a resident assistant. The band played in Gatliff Chapel once, which, according to Amy, “sent Miss. Hall through the roof.” Tracey is now an audio producer, recording the audio for radio and television commercials for clients such as Kroger, Fifth Third Bank, and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. He and his son play in their church's worship band.

Amy filled her time at college with friends, studying, and completing work-study hours in the speech and debate department. She admits to being a bit of a rebel her freshman year at Cumberlands, saying she was called into the office of Linda Carter, ’72, on more than one occasion. But by the time she was a senior, she was chosen to represent the college in the Miss Mt. Laurel Scholarship Pageant, so her years at school, as she says, “must have turned something around.” She sold copiers for 22 years after college, then around eight years ago she decided to become a realtor. Between the job, church and social activities, hosting family nights, and babysitting her grandson once or twice a week, she stays busy.

Tracey and Amy grew up in neighboring towns in Cincinnati, Ohio, and they moved back to the Cincinnati area following graduation from Cumberlands. Being an art major, Tracey needed a master’s degree to increase his chances at obtaining a stable job, and he attended the Art Academy of Cincinnati, graduating in ’92. The two got married on Leap Day, February 29, 1992, because it was the Saturday before Tracey’s Spring Break. They have a son and a daughter, both of whom married in 2020, and they now have a grandson they adore. The whole family lives in the same neighborhood and enjoys spending time together throughout the week.