H. Hamilton "Hammy" Bissell

Hammy Bissell (1911-2000) was a long-serving member of the faculty of the Phillips Exeter Academy. He graduated from PEA in 1929. He was one of those men who exemplified all that was best about the Academy. ['Doing What He Loved in a Place He Loved.' "The Exeter Bulletin". Spring 2001; "Hamilton 'Hammy' Bissell, A at Exeter Academy." "The Newark Star-Ledger". Nov. 22, 2000. Newark, New Jersey; "Helped Poor Students Get to Exeter." "Toronto Globe and Mail". Nov. 27, 2000. Toronto, Ontario, Canada; "Hamilton Bissell, 89, an Official at Exeter." "The New York Times". Nov. 26, 2000; and, Long, Tom. "Hamilton Bissell, Director of Scholarships at Exeter." "The Boston Globe". Nov. 23, 2000.] Serving during the tenures of seven Principals, he occupied a number of positions in the school's administration particularly Director of Scholarships, in that position he famously extended the reach of the Academy to fulfil the slogan 'Youth from Every Quarter' by seeing to it that everyone who could qualify academically for Exeter could attend Exeter.

Bissell was the uncle of John Irving. He appears with some disguise in several of Irving's books.

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