Obituary of Thomas Howell Hawkes

Thomas Howell Hawkes, 72, passed away after a brief illness, Saturday, May 5, 2012, at the Dr. Jey Pillai Center for Hospice Care in Rockledge. Born in Houston, MS, he lived in Rockville, MD, Chicago, IL, Dolton, IL, San Antonio, TX, Morton, PA, and Somerdale, NJ, before moving to Rockledge, FL. After graduating from Richard Montgomery High School, and earning a BA from University of Maryland, he attended the University of Chicago from 1961 to 1967, receiving his PhD in Education. During his studies, he co-authored the book, Role Perception and Task Performance of Experimentally Composed Small Groups, along with published articles. During two summers, he taught at State College of Iowa in Cedar Falls. Following graduation, he took a position with The Inter-American Educational Center, San Antonio, TX, and then, in 1968 began teaching at Temple University in Philadelphia, becoming Professor of Psychoeducational Processes in the Graduate School of Education. During his career at Temple, he participated in teaching graduate courses abroad in Nigeria and Japan. He retired in 1999. In addition to academic instruction, he taught religious youth classes at First Baptist Church, Gaithersburg, MD, and at Cornell Ave. Baptist Church, Chicago, IL, adult Sunday classes at Wayne Baptist Church, Wayne, PA, Stratford Methodist Church, Stratford, NJ and First Methodist Church of Haddon Heights, NJ. Upon retiring to Florida, he became an energetic volunteer for organizations in Brevard Co, including Senior TranServe, where he spent 1,585 hours traveling a distance of 26,190 miles. He also delivered Meals on Wheels on a regular basis, volunteered with Wuesthoff Hospice and drove for American Cancer SocietyGÇÖs Roads to Recovery. In addition, he was very active in Hope United Church of Christ, Rockledge, starting an adult Bible study class, serving as Deacon and as a member of the music committee. He enjoyed reading, photography, and travelling, and especially loved his grandchildrenGÇÖs scholastic, musical, and athletic events. Tom was a loving and devoted husband, father, and grandfather. His family includes his wife of 52 years, Leah Jean of Rockledge; daughter, Deborah Lee Zievis and her husband, Brian, of Raleigh, NC; daughter, Laura Beth Hawkes, of Atlanta, GA; grandchildren, Rachel and Michael DelGaudio, and Laura Grace Zievis. He is predeceased by his sister, Elizabeth Koball, who passed in 2003.A memorial service will be held at 2:00 pm, Saturday, May 19, at Hope United Church of Christ, 2555 Fiske Blvd., Rockledge, FL 32955, followed by reception in the Social Hall.Donations may be made to Hope UCC, 2555 Fiske Blvd., Rockledge, FL 32955 or Senior TranServe, 3600 W. King Street, Cocoa, FL 32926.