Head of School's Blog

I recently learned that Edward Hawkes ‘51 passed away in Florida. Ed (I think his classmates called him Ronnie) was one of the first alumni to visit the campus after I started as Head back in 2008. I will never forget the topic of our first conversation on that late summer day. Ed wanted to know about the deferred maintenance issues on campus (there were many) and how our septic system was performing. I did my best to answer his questions before giving him and his wonderful wife, Janice, a tour of the campus. The next week, I received a very generous check for “buildings and grounds.”

I later learned that Ed had spent his career as a college campus superintendent and was later very involved in maintaining the golf course at his retirement community, where I visited him on a few occasions. Not many people like to give money to fix septic systems and leaky roofs, but Ed knew how important it was to have these working well.

Ed loved Dublin School’s Work Gangs. He enjoyed building things and appreciated Dublin’s values around having students take care of the campus. School founder Paul Lehmann gave Ed permission to build a cabin near the base of the ski area. As you can see in the photo, Ed built a legitimate cabin. One can still find the stone chimney and foundation down in the woods. [In fact, to see if any students actually read my blog, I challenge the student body to find the cabin and take a selfie next to it. I will award a lunch at the Dublin General Store to the first two students to complete the challenge. Make sure to sign out before exploring!]

Hawkes’ Cabin helped inspire our idea of building an outdoor campus on our lower acreage. I believe that students find fulfillment when they are unplugged and engaged in activities like chopping wood and carrying water. Hawkes’ Cabin provided space for students to play cards, relax, read, and have meaningful conversations. I hope we can honor Ed’s legacy and enduring commitment to Dublin School when we begin this project. And, one more thing, Ed left a gift in his estate for “buildings and grounds.”