Hawk bows out
‘Jack-of-all-trades’ calls it quits
after three decades at University
l*f hen Ray Hawk talks about his career, it is with a satisfied smile and
an air of contentment that comes with 32 years at the University
Hawk, who retires as vice president for administration at the end of
the month, looks forward to spending time with his wife and a few
seagulls at his cabin on the Oregon coast.
But Hawk won't just putter around the house The man who grimaces
at the idea of spending retirement time on Florida's sunny beaches will
work as a volunteer in the University relations office
"Looking back on the length of time, it doesn't seem like that long,
but it's just gone swish," Hawk says "I'm now convinced, as I suppose
most historians are, that life is cyclical
"As I look back on it, I don’t think there's any doubt in my mind that
the decade of the 1950s was the most enjoyable one in terms of my
professional relationships.''
Hawk talks about each of the past four decades as if they were
yesterday He seems enchanted with the fifties and as disillusioned with
the students of the sixties as they were with the administration he worked
in
In the early forties the University was still a small school, ballooning
after World War II to 7,000 students but settling to about 5,000 as the
fifties approached
"These I call happy times," Hawk says. "We were in a growth cycle,
things were faring quite well, the students were a carefree lot."
Hawk says students of the fifties were more inclined to be involved in
group activities such as sororities and fraternities.
"They really had a good time, they knew how to
smile, they knew how to laugh, they didn't take life as
seriously as some of those who followed "
Those who followed, the students of the sixties,
were too serious, too intent upon carrying the weight
of all the world's problems on their shoulders, he says.
"It was really kind of tragic, life gets serious too
quick," Hawk says. "I can't think of a time when a
blithe spirit can be more blithe than in college
"You'd walk across campus and there were
people with hang-dog expressions If you said hello,' it
was questionable whether or not they were going to
answer
"I think it destroyed a generation of people, in the
sense of keeping things in perspective Today, those
same people look back and think they didn't have a
hell of a lot of influence in the things they were trying
to do."
Hawk says he feels the students of the eighties are
somewhat like those of the fifties, with one exception
"Students come (to the University) with a much
more positive attitude It's great to go to a student
meeting and hear laughter," Hawk says But he has an
addendum "i am convinced students are more serious
about their purposes in coming to college now
"That's why I say it's cyclical," Hawk says "I've
lived here long enough to see those cycles change "
Hawk's reminiscence centers around the
students As dean of men from 1950-64 (including a
one-year break to study under a Carnegie Fellowship),
Hawk worked directly with the students From his post
as dean, Hawk went on to a position as assistant to
Pres. Arthur Flemming. Hawk even had a stint as
acting president when Charles Johnson died in a car
wreck in the summer of 1969
"I suppose I'm one of the few people who've made
a professional career at one institution and still
climbed the administrative ladder Normally you have
to be mobile," Hawk says.
For the past 11 years, Hawk has acted as
vice-president for administration He says his job is a
jack-of-all-trades position
Hawk calls it "playing the role of quarterback.
"I have, for many years, been given the role of
institutional troubleshooter and that really transcends
a whole lot of areas," Hawk says.
Hawk handles the administrative functions of the
University, the athletic department and until
recently, the museums. "I find the problem solving,
whether it be budget or people problems or arbitration,
whatever, enjoyable."
The one thing Hawk enjoys most about his job.
coming into work every day and not knowing
specifically what he'll face, is also the thing Hawk
looks forward to missing
"One thing that will be so great is to feel
unstructured Even though I say I don't know what is
coming every day, and enjoy that, I do have a certain
schedule "
Hawk was born in a small southern Oregon
logging town, Butte Falls. He finished high school at
Ashland and spent three years at Southern Oregon
State College before finishing his bachelor's degree at
the University
"I was a country boy from Oregon," Hawk says
with a playful twang "I was so typical of my
generation, you didn’t move very much — and if you
were raised in an area like that, you maybe moved your
horizons out a little bit."
"Then along came Uncle Sam and my that did
change things." Hawk says The 23 year-old Hawk lost
his self-given title of country boy when he signed for a
hitch.
"I was very fortunate," he says. "Being in the right
place at the right time." Hawk wound up serving in
Europe, not on the front line, but in U S Air Force
headquarters at Paris, France
"For me it was like bringing me out of a cocoon,"
he says "I would never have had that oportunity had I
come (to the University) straight out of high school "
The Air Force meant enough to Hawk that he
spent some of his time volunteering to help as a liason
for the academy He was also active in the reserves but
has since retired — with the title colonel
"It's heresy to say. but I suspect the military
Ray Hawk Award
becomes official
A new award for the outstanding senior at the
University has been named after Ray Hawk, the
retiring vice president for administration and finance
The Ray Hawk Award will be a perpetual trophy
engraved with the name of each year's recipient The
winner will also receive a certificate of award
The idea for the award came from the committee
which planned a retirement dinner for Hawk, says Bob
Bowlin, dean of students The committee wanted to
honor Hawk for 32 years of service to the University
"This is particularly symbolic because of Hawk's
many years spent working extensively with students, "
Bowlin says "Since he was also involved in the
selection of outstanding juniors for awards given
during his time with the University, the award seemed
a natural way of honoring him "
Hawk served as dean of men for 14 years, from
1950 to 1964
Qualifications for the award include leadership,
scholastic achievement, service to students and the
University and contributions to the quality of under
graduate life
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