Growing up, Marilyn enjoyed a strong family
foundation of love, faith, courage and support – exactly
the strengths she would draw upon when misfortune
entered her life, enabling her to transform the
worst of circumstances into the best of opportunities.
Her mother and father, Mary and Edward Koobation,
instilled strong values into all of their children,
including Marilyn’s two brothers, Jon and
Stanley, and sister, Barbara, establishing a
household in which helping others became a natural
part of family life. Marilyn watched her mother,
grandmother and great grandmother unselfishly
give of their time for good causes, witnessing
first-hand their examples of kindness and determination.
After
Marilyn’s grandmother, Hatoon Bazarian,
passed away, she learned about a part of her
life that had gone unspoken for as long as Marilyn
had known her. She found that Grandma Bazarian
had lived a life of unbelievable drama and sadness
under Armenian persecution in Turkish Armenia.
At the risk of her own life, she was able to
escape the brutal tyranny by fleeing to Syria,
where she emerged as a courageous freedom fighter,
defending her family and friends during World
War I. In 1922, Grandma Bazarian immigrated to
the United States, where she became a proud citizen
and began a new life, grateful for the many opportunities
this land afforded. This amazing woman never
let her painful past hold her back or make her
bitter – she moved on with her life through
the sheer power of optimism. Reflecting on her
grandmother’s triumph over adversity gave
Marilyn much-needed strength and courage as she
sought to overcome the setbacks that would impact
her own life.
During her last year in college, Marilyn married
her high school sweetheart, Rick Hamilton. After
graduating, Marilyn and Rick ventured off to
Australia where they both taught high school.
Exploring the exotic and challenging continent
ignited the couple’s adventurous spirit,
and they set off to travel extensively around
the world before returning to the United States
three years later. They returned with wonderful
stories, a thirst for adventure, and a totally
new perspective on life.
Marilyn and Rick settled down on an 80-acre
farm in California, dividing their time between
their teaching careers, sports, travel and generally
living life to its fullest. But just when life
seemed to be unfolding the way the couple had
always wanted, a personal error caused Marilyn
to experience a harrowing hang gliding accident.
Seeing her hopes and dreams shattering before
her, Marilyn knew her life would never be the
same.
During her recovery, Marilyn’s family
became instrumental. She especially connected
with Rick’s Uncle Bill, who became a vibrant
role model and inspiration.
Uncle Bill grew up in the early part of the
20th century, a star high school athlete, a good
student and all-around popular guy. One day he
was riding with his brother in a Ford Model T,
when another Model T ran them off the road. Uncle
Bill was thrown from the car and broke his neck.
Bill became a quadriplegic in the era before
World War 1 – in a time when people weren’t
expected to live a day, let alone a year…and
certainly not a lifetime. But Uncle Bill was
an extraordinary man. He not only survived, but
went on to attend UCLA and Loyola Law School
before running the packing operation for the
family farms.
Marilyn always appreciated Uncle Bill because
he never let his injury stop him from participating
or contributing. But she had no idea how amazing
he was until her own accident. Lying in Intensive
Care, she noticed him sitting in the corner of
the room with a tear in his eye, and instantly
felt the most amazing bond with him. He looked
at her and whispered, “Don’t let
that adventurous spirit of yours ever die.” From
that day on, he always challenged her thinking,
gave her hope and encouraged her to pursue her
dreams. Through his words and his example, Uncle
Bill inspired Marilyn to push for more and challenge
her limits.
Through Marilyn’s tragedy, a sense of
purpose emerged. Her dreams changed from soaring
in the sky to soaring to the top of everything
she endeavored to do. While some paths ended
with her accident, other paths opened, leading
to her rise as a champion in national and Paralympic
tennis and snow skiing, her emergence as a business
leader and founder of vital nonprofit organizations.
While her life’s journey eventually led
to a separation from her greatest friend, Rick,
it also led to a fulfilling marriage to another
remarkable man (with the same last name!): Bob
Hamilton ...or, as she so affectionately calls
him, Mr. Spectacular! The way Marilyn sees it,
she spent the first 1/3 of her life experiencing
all the adventure and excitement life has to
offer. She spent the next 1/3 drawing upon her
experiences and support from family & friends
to overcome adversity, adjust to life in a wheelchair,
create businesses and give back to the world
that had given her so much. Now as she embarks
on a new adventure with ENVISION, she looks forward
to the next 1/3 of her life growing dynamic relationships
with Bob, family, friends, and to contributing
to the world in a whole new way.
