The content of this site was generated automatically using Claude Code and Mnemotron-R, based on OCR data from Spectator (1947–2025) and other college archival materials hosted at the Internet Archive. It it intended as a proof of concept for the Mnemotron-R project, and has not been reviewed for completeness or accuracy by a human reviewer.
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Ralph Oman
Overview
Ralph Oman (born c. 1940) is a copyright lawyer who served as the United States Register of Copyrights from 1985 to 1993. He is a Hamilton College alumnus (Class of 1962), having enrolled in fall 1958 as an incoming freshman from Smithtown, Long Island. At Hamilton he was a member of Psi Upsilon fraternity, participated in the orchestra as a timpanist, played intramural basketball, and spent his junior year abroad in France under the Hamilton College Junior Year in France Program.
After Hamilton, Oman pursued a legal career specializing in intellectual property and copyright law, eventually becoming the nation’s chief copyright officer under the Librarian of Congress. He later joined the faculty of the George Washington University Law School.
Relevance to Research
Oman is one of the more recent Hamilton alumni to achieve national prominence in a specialized professional field. The Spectator corpus documents his student years extensively: he was selected for a Hamilton scholarship by the Student Senate in spring 1958 before he even enrolled, appeared regularly in intramural sports coverage, was pledged to Psi Upsilon in fall 1958, participated in the college orchestra, was elected to Wab Los (junior honor society) his junior year, and spent his junior year in France. The 1962–63 catalog confirms his graduation.
Notes
- Named as a Hamilton scholarship recipient by the Student Senate, spring 1958 (May 23, 1958 Spectator); was ranked second in a class of 121 at Smithtown High School and served as president of his school’s General Organization and vice-president of its Honor Society
- Pledged Psi Upsilon fraternity, fall 1958; listed in the September 26, 1958 Spectator fraternity pledge list
- Listed as timpanist in the college orchestra, fall 1958
- Active in intramural basketball for Psi U; was frequently the high scorer — notched 20 points in at least two documented games (December 1959 and March 1960)
- Participated in the Hamilton College Junior Year in France Program, 1960–61 academic year, under Prof. Frank A. Piano
- Listed among 1962 graduates in the 1962–63 catalog alongside James Stuart Smith and others
- Served as US Register of Copyrights, 1985–1993
Related Sources
- spec-1958-05-23 — selected by Student Senate as Hamilton scholarship recipient
- spec-1958-09-26 — listed as Psi Upsilon pledge and orchestra timpanist
- spec-1959-12-11 — high scorer in Psi U intramural basketball game
- spec-1960-01-15 — high scorer in Psi U intramural basketball game
- spec-1960-03-11 — high scorer in Psi U intramural basketball game
- spec-1960-10-28 — listed among Junior Year in France participants
- yhm-arc-pub-cat-1962-63 — listed as graduate, Class of 1962