Apr. 4, 2018
ThePRAIRIE
Vol. 102 Iss. 3
Dr. Hawkins, college of agriculture dean, passes away at 56 Tova Kibal Senior Reporter Dean Earl Hawkins, 56, Dean of The Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, passed away after a fight with brain cancer on Tuesday, Feb. 27. Hawkins was a loved professor at West Texas A&M and highly valued in the community as a friend, mentor, father and advocate of agriculture. Hawkins was respected and admired by his colleagues at WT. Dr. David Lust, associate professor of animal science, met Hawkins in 1981 on the farm where Lust grew up. He described Hawkins as a person who always saw value in everyone and believed in helping others. ‘‘Dean was a fearless advocate for the things he believed in, and he unapologetically believed in students, in good people and in WTAMU Agriculture,’’ Lust said. ‘‘Dean’s [life] was a life well lived, a race well run. He has been an example to all that knew him.’’
of person who would Hawkins was born make sure you were in Groom on Oct. 2, doing alright, whether 1961 and grew up in it’s in your classes or Clarendon. He received outside your classes.’’ a bachelor’s degree in Sprague’s family knew animal science and a Hawkins well and she master’s degree in animal shared that he was a breeding, physiology of mentor and someone reproduction at Texas she could count on. Tech University, as well as “I was three hours a doctorate in physiology away from my parents, of reproduction and so he was kind of an growth from Texas A&M additional dad for me University. anytime I needed help,’’ Hawkins married Jaye she said, “whether Erin Bearden in 1995 and I needed my lawn they lived in Las Cruces, mowed at my house or N.M. where he worked Photo provided by Whitney Sprague we were part of his larger needed a tire change, as a professor at New he would have been the first Mexico State University. family.’’ Hawkins came to WT in WT Graduate Whitley person that I called and he worked with would have been there in a 2009 as the new head of the Sprague department of agricultural Hawkins in the department second.’’ sciences and proceeded to of agricultural sciences as a Hawkins valued family student worker from 2012 highly and wanted people become the dean in 2015. At WT, Hawkins had to 2015. Hawkins recruited around him to do the same. many friends from different Sprague to attend WT when Dr. Tim Steffens, assistant backgrounds and at different she was a sophomore in high professor of agricultural career levels. Lust describes school. She explained that sciences, said that Hawkins this as ‘‘perhaps his most she knew she wanted to go expected people around to WT and surround herself him to work hard, but to put significant impact.’’ ‘‘Dean placed great with people like Hawkins family first. importance on family. He after he had given her a tour “Once, when I was working around some holiday trying cherished his own family of the university. and encouraged us to do the “He was just a really good to get caught up on things, Sprague said. he found me in my office same,’’ Lust said. ‘‘He also friend,’’ made his colleagues feel that “He was always the type and told me that if I didn’t
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get home to my family by noon he was going to fire me,’’ Steffens said. “Not as a real threat, but as a way of emphasizing to me how important it was to take care of family stuff and not let the job consume me.’’ Hawkins was an important force behind the growth of the agricultural sciences department and the department’s new complex. For Steffens, Hawkins was also the force behind him finding his career at WT. ‘‘He saw something in me that I wasn’t even sure I had and gave me an opportunity to have the most rewarding job I have had in my career. And for that, I will be eternally grateful,’’ Steffens said. ‘‘I hope I never let him down.’’ Hawkins is survived by his twin daughters, Callie Dean Hawkins and Hannah Bryce Hawkins, and his wife Jaye Erin Hawkins. Donations can be made to the WTAMU Foundation Dr. Dean Hawkins scholarship at WTAMU Foundation, WTAMU Box 60766, Canyon, Texas 79016.
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