Services held for Hawkins

A standing room only crowd filled Canyon’s First United Methodist Church Saturday when services were held for Clarendon native Dr. Dean Hawkins.

A well-known figure in education and in agriculture, Hawkins passed away February 27, 2018, after a valiant fight against brain cancer.

A Distinguished Alumni of Clarendon College, Hawkins often worked with his alma mater to further agriculture education and maintained a close relationship with CC.

“I truly appreciated the friendship he and I developed during my time here at Clarendon,” CC President Dr. Robert Riza said. “He was a great supporter of the College and was a great partner for our students.”

Hawkins was the dean of West Texas A&M University’s Paul Engler College of Agriculture & Natural Sciences, a position he had held since 2015. He had joined the faculty at WTAMU as head of the Department of Agricultural Sciences in 2009. As dean, he played an active role in the development and construction of the University’s new Agricultural Sciences Complex and was instrumental in the naming of the Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences.
Dean Earl Hawkins was born in Groom on October 2, 1961 to Glenda Lee and Jerry Milo Hawkins. He grew up in Clarendon.

He was a graduate of Clarendon High School and earned an associate degree from Clarendon College in 1982. He then attended Texas Tech University where he earned his B.S. degree in Animal Science in 1984 and his M.S. in Animal Breeding (Physiology of Reproduction) in 1986. He went on to earn a Ph.D in Physiology of Reproduction and Growth from Texas A&M in 1990, and completed an NIH Post-Doctoral fellowship at Colorado State University.

His career began in 1992 as a professor in Animal Science at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico. He married Jaye Erin Bearden on July 22, 1995 and they remained in Las Cruces until 2009 when he joined West Texas A&M and moved to Canyon.

Throughout his years, he was the recipient of many honors beginning with the Boy Scouts God and Country Award and achieving the rank of Eagle Scout. He also received the Western section, American Society of Animal Science (ASAS), Young Scientist Award.

He served as a board member for the ASAS and was a reproductive consultant for several ranches in Arizona, Wyoming, Mexico, and New Mexico. He traveled widely for his work; he went to Mexico often, gave a speech in Dubai and also traveled to China.

Dean found his work at WT and NMSU very fulfilling. He was proud of all the things his students, faculty, staff and administrative teams accomplished during his tenure. Most recently, he was honored to have had a role in acquiring funding for the new WTAMU Agriculture Complex due to open in Fall of 2018. However, his most valued role as a university professor and administrator was the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of students. At NMSU, Dean was advisor to 12 undergraduate student researchers, 16 graduate students and four Ph.D. students.

Above all, Dean valued Faith, Family and Friends. He adored his family and was always telling them how proud he was of each one of them.

Raising his beautiful twin daughters with his wife, Jaye, was his greatest and most treasured personal accomplishment. He was an outstanding father and husband.

Dean was preceded in death by his father, Jerry Milo Hawkins; maternal grandparents, Pete and Opal Borden; and paternal grandparents, Spud and Vera Hawkins.

Dean is survived by his wife, Jaye Erin Hawkins; twin daughters, Hannah Bryce Hawkins and Callie Dean Hawkins; his mom, Glenda Hawkins; brother, Doug Hawkins and wife, Daphne; three nephews, Brayden, Brigg and Josh Hawkins; his aunt Regina Wootten, uncle Jack Hawkins (Ann), aunt Gwen Cochran (Wendell) and several cousins.
Funeral Services for Dean were held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 3, 2018 at the First United Methodist Church in Canyon. Graveside services followed at 3:00 p.m. at Citizens Cemetery in Clarendon.

The family asks that donations be made to the Education Fund FBO of the Hawkins Twins at First United Bank of Canyon; the WTAMU Foundation Dean Hawkins Scholarship at WTAMU, Box 60766, Canyon, TX 79016; or the Dean Hawkins Scholarship Fund at Clarendon College, PO Box 968, Clarendon, TX 79226.