What Bob means to me........

He had a sense of humor like no other person.  He could cheer me up without me realizing it's what I needed.  He inspired me to achieve greatness, to believe in who I am as a person and what I had to offer others.
He's one of the smartest men I know.
He always had the answer.
He was always there to make sure my class selections worked for me.
He was a man who you could get mad at and then forgive and love the minute you saw his face.He would defend me when required and also let me know if I was out of line.
He was not afraid to express his emotions or feelings.
Sometimes he would get quiet and I knew something was going on with him.  We would talk and work through it together.  He trusted me.  What a gift.I enjoyed our little competitiveness, and we laughed for long periods of time - who could out do whom. Oh there were times when we had plans and he did not show up - but that was Bob.
Stepping on my dress when he walked me down the aisle at our wedding.

Re-packing Bob at the last minute for his trip to Prague, taking out his favorite blue shirt.
His travel experiences turned into many stories.I will never forget our many dinners, movies, brunches during the holidays, idea of buying a beach house and his visits to our home.
There was never a day that went by where I didn't want to see Bob.
He believed in me.He never gave up on me and what he felt I could accomplish.  He saw the best in me and reminded me often.  He was always there for me when I needed a hug or reassurance.
He was a mentor, like a second father to me and most of all one of my dearest friends.
I will miss him more than I even know at this moment.
I love him and will always.  I hope he hears me now.....


Kindra Jordan
WU Travel Manager

Nearly every morning, I would see Bob walk out to his car, usually dry cleaning and briefcase in hand. Sometimes, I would call out from across the way, "Aren't you retired yet?!" Bob would laugh and say, "eh, I'm working at it" - or "I'm getting there" - or "who has time for retirement?!"

 

I've known Bob for nearly 10 years, and even his apartment manager couldn't hide from his love of academia and personal quest to ensure the world was highly educated. While those talks were limited to minutes at a time, Bob always made sure that I was following whatever path I wanted to be on, and that it was perfectly fine to fence sit and enjoy my station in life; as long as I followed whatever it was I wanted to "be when I grew up". (However, graduate school was mandatory) Conversely, I would ask Bob what he wanted to be when he grew up, he would tell me he hadn't figured that out yet. I think we both settled on being career students for life. There was rarely a place I saw him not interacting in some form of learning or teaching, whether that be at Willamette, our community, or the local coffee shop.

 

Semi-retired or not, Bob's true passion was his students. Hearing these amazing stories from his colleagues and students reaffirms why Bob never really left Willamette. His students were his inspiration. While you may have sought Bob's insight, advice and encouragement at some point, or like me wanting a continuous IV of random information about the world from a true intellectual; Bob needed us just as much.  Because of Bob, the formal and the countless numbers of informal students gained a better grasp on the world, however his students MADE his world complete.

 

Bob will be missed greatly by our community.

 

Melodie Atkinson

WOU Alumni 2009

Swing dancing

I met Bob Hawkinson in an unusual manner. 

While as a student at Willamette, I took up swing dancing classes in Salem. Through this class, I became acquainted with two men who would become my first dance partners. I also laughed at them when they entertained the idea that they might be professors at WU.

When I ran their names by some fellow WU students, I was, quickly and shockingly, informed that I may have insulted DEAN Bob Hawkinson and PROFESSOR Jerry Gray of Economics. We all had a very good laugh!

I had a very wonderful time dancing with Bob! I admired how brave and determined he was to learn to swing dance. He was always a good sport. Always a good time.

Thank you for the dances, Bob. I'll dance one number for you.

Mayland Chan Heym, Class of 2000