My grandfather, a Russian Jewish immigrant, landed on Galveston’s shores in 1909 to start a new life. He quickly chose the small Central Texas town of Hamilton to do it.

He and his bride, also from Russia, worked hard to build a life and raise three sons — my dad Sam and his brothers, Louis and Milton.

And what a life they made. Indeed, they are part of the life of Hamilton for a full century.

These things come to my mind at the reccent passing of my Uncle Milton, a Hamilton resident until his dying day, the last of his generation of Hareliks to live and contribute there.

Except for time with the Air Force in World War II and a short stint in Kansas with his first wife’s family business, Uncle Milton spent all of his 88 years there. He helped make it what it was and is.

Like so many communities all across the American countryside, Hamilton is made up of plain citizens who do what they can for themselves and others daily. Unsung American heroes, they’re the glue holding this nation together.

My uncle was active in the Lion’s Club and a lifelong supporter of the hospital. His second wife, my Aunt Dorothy, worked for every civic project imaginable — the hospital, library, city parks, economic development.

Together, while raising a family, they carried on a life often unknown in the big cities. It is a lifestyle that continues in Hamilton, where wonderful local people tend to their neighbors’ needs and problems.

Doctors come to the patients in times of great need. Ranchers and farmers operate with their word as their bond, their names untarnished by modern society’s temptations.

Children play under the watchful eye of neighbors who know and care about them.

These are the scenes that drew generations of immigrants like my forebears, people looking for peace and kindness and what we now call old-fashioned family values.

They found what they were looking for, celebrated them and “paid them forward” in ways to be felt for generations. These are people who can never be replaced.

My uncle did not live to see the fireworks over Hamilton on this Independence Day. But he lives on in many ways. His life compels me to think about the many fathers and forefathers who not only knitted the fabric of our society but also reinforced it for all of us who follow.

Happy Fourth to all those of the Greatest Generation. A less-than-worthy younger generation says thanks.

Harry I. Harelik is executive director of the McLennan Community College Foundation.