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| June 8, 1978 Shelton Mason County Journal |  |
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June 8, 1978 |
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ill H
LEE
at North Mason
School can't help but be a
this year.
are the patient, caring
for more than 20 years
seniors setting out to
their own persons in
,People call "the real
Hawkins will be missed.
about that. Not just at
Ceremonies, but in the
Future students will
firsthand the quiet
of a man bent on using
infinite energy to
too.
Erma Roessel, whose
Bill dates back to
day he walked into the
school offices 23
and applied for a job,
cover more than
personal loss.
though I really miss
I think of Bill I
help but think of
It was so obvious that
doing the thing he loved
teaching."
'a through his many
'helping students inside
of the classroom, Erma
goal remained the
he wanted to help
Student learn
just being aware of
is the easy part. What
so amazing was that he
managed to help kids
their own sense of
0bligation."
admits that she's not
just how he did it. "I
main thing was that he
his cool.
he was always working
of kids that had
yet he never
signs of frustration,
to the students. I
talking with him that
there were certain
Would never reach; that
. Yet even with them
never give up trying."
of his first years at
Bill also served as
She says he was
he job, but Erma points
too good.
Was obvious that he
never simply leave a
troubles behind when
went home at night.
all the problems he
with each day, he
One to heart."
so that Bill was
forced to turn away
.anseling on such a
m a way, was a
he was great at
Of course, he always
a COunselor behind the
naade him so effective
was that he always
things out with the
student. He rarely
the parents, and that
a last resort.
.0ther help was his
Intuition when it came
Standing a student's
recommending what
for him or her.
ow this from personal
One of my sons
a bit too early. He
id well enough
but in other ways
slightly behind the
When he was getting
leave eighth grade, Bill
• e With what he called
aggestion.' He told me
ght help my son to
before moving up
wkins: patient teacher of life
Bill Hawkins
One of Bill's main attractions to the North Mason schools
were their small size. Back in 1962, both the school district
and his classes were still small enough to assure his favorite
one-on-one teaching...
... Fifteen years later, students still found him readily available but he
sometimes worried that he wasn't getting through to enough of his class.
to high school. Bill emphasized
that it had to be his own choice,
though.
"At first Mike didn't think
much about the idea of taking
eighth grade over - mainly he
was worried about what the
other kids would say. But finally
he decided to repeat.
"Well, the whole thing
changed his feeling towards
school and when he got tohigh
school he .really enjoyed himself.
"That's just one example,
out of hundreds. Bill's sense of
what would be best for a student
was uncanny."
Over his 23 years of
teaching, Erma says Bill's
approach to teaching never
changed.
"I think what originally
attracted him to North Mason
was its small size. For Bill,
working with kids on a
one-to-one basis was the essence
of education."
With only nine seniors in
North Mason's first graduating
class, personal instruction was
assured. But as the number of
students he taught each day
increased from 30 to more than
100, Bill began to worry.
"I'd say that his increasing
student load was his only
frustration. He was beginning to
worry that some kids were being
neglected. Yet, if you were to
ask either me or the students, he
was still working with his kids
individually, just as he'd always
done.
"He was a great teacher and
nothing could change that."
Few people could agree with
Erma more than another woman
who knew Bill ever since his own
elementary school days, his wife
Peg.
"If I had to pin down what
Bill was trying to teach, I'd say
he wanted his students to
develop an active interest in the
world around them.
"He always got excited when
,a student began showing a
personal interest in some subject.
He loved kids who were eager to
learn and took the initiative."
Peg's not sure just when Bill
decided to enter his lifelong
profession.
. "Actually, it's something he
just sort of drifted into. Believe
it or not, after he returned from
the war he first wanted to
become an electrical engineer. He
even attended a technical
institute in Seattle, but his
demonstrates his famous form on errant victim.
teacher told him to forget
electrical engineering because his
math would never make it.
"Then he started attending
the University of Washington and
I guess you'd say he became the
proverbial professional student.
"For six years Bill took all
sorts of courses, including a lot
of English and history subjects.
Eventually he racked up enough
credits for his master's and just
about enough for his Ph.D. But
he never placed much value in
such degrees and never pursued
them.
"Finally he got tired of going
to school, said he needed a
change, so he started looking for
a teaching job.
"He knew he didn't want to
teach in a large district so he
applied to several small schools.
When he got the job at North
Mason we were both pleased
because we really loved the area.
"As soon as we could we
bought our place on the South
Shore and it seemed like paradise
- quiet, privacy and a beautiful
view.
"What's more, Bill
immediately took to teaching,
and found he enjoyed it more
than he had even expected.
"Anyway, Bill never sat
down and said, 'I think I'll
become a teacher.' But I think it
must have always been in the
back of his head, because for
him it sure was a natural."
Right from the start Bill was
an innovator in the classroom.
Long before such practices were
considered acceptable, Bill would
play music in his room or else
stage a trial often lasting for
weeks.
"Behind it all was his love
for books and knowledge.
Besides, he had always been a
strong individual. He didn't view
things the way most people did."
Bill was not always the
willing student, himself, though.
It wasn't until he returned from
military service that he
completed his high school
degree, because of his "constant
messing around" in his own
school days.
"We were both supposedly in
high shool at the same time
over in Seattle. I say
'supposedly' because he seldom
attended school. Most of the
time you could find him out
cruising around in his
convertible, complete with his
long sideburns, greased hair and
black leather jacket.
"As for me, I was the
'goody-goody girl,' so he spent
most of his time trying to get
me to cut school. Also he spent
a lot of time dodging the
principal, who'd yell, 'I see you,
Bill Hawkins' down the halls
while Bill ducked out of sight.
"i'm sure that's why he was
so patient with some of the
more troublesome kids in his
classes - he understood."
As for his attraction to
books, that came honestly.
"His father ran a bookstore
called 'The Bookworm' over in
the university district. Instead of
going out on dates, we would
just wander around his father's
store, picking out interesting
books - which was fine with me
because I've always enjoyed
reading. I guess you'd say we
were compatible right from the
start. Bill seemed to have always
known that."
Peg says that for Bill one of
the more satisfying parts of his
job was when a student
graduated and then became a
close friend.
Many of his studnets either
settled directly in the local area
or returned later.
One of these students is Bill
Landram, who has the unique
"privilege" of having known Bill
Hawkins as teacher, friend and
fellow worker.
In all his dealings with the
man, Landram says he's left with
one overriding impression.
"He was always fair with me.
If I did something wrong he told
me directly. That was one of the
great things about Bill Hawkins;
you always knew just where you
stood with him. If you did
something he didn't like, he told
you and that was the end of it. I
think that's why everybody
always respected him."
Such respect made it difficult
,.for Landram when he joined Bill
on the school district sta'ff. ....
"I never found it easy to call
him 'Bill,' even though he
insisted. Somehow it just didn't
seem right. To me he'll always
be 'Mr. Hawkins.' "
When Landram started
teaching, he and Mr. Hawkins
went over his formerly
confidential school file and
Landram got a taste of how Mr.
Hawkins usually worked.
"He told all my teachers to
just leave me alone and, if some
trouble came up, that they
should come talk with him. So
for all those years he had been
watching over me."
Landram continued seeking
Mr. Hawkin's advice throughout
college concerning his
coursework in education. Then,
when Landram was about to
start his own teaching career
with fifth-graders, Mr. Hawkins
(now Bill) came and imparted
one piece of advice: "Always try
to remember what it was like to
be that age."
With such an all-encom.
passing person, it's not surprising
that people remember Bill for
different strengths.
"For me, I'!1 always recall
how he worked so well with kids
that had serious problems. Many
times he would accept them
right into his own home if he
thought that would help.
"Of course he enjoyed
working with both the 'high' and
'low' kids, but the 'problem'
students always seemed to have
had a special place in his heart.
"That's not to say he was
easy on them. In fact, the
opposite. But even the ones he
had to paddle regularly still
respected the man."
Landram knows about such
respect firsthand, having once
felt the business end of Bill's
legendary paddle.
"He didn't like to paddle, so
when he had to he really laid
into you. He wanted it to be
effective.
"Fortunately I wasn't a
particularly bad kid, so I only
got it once. But that was enough
for me.
Fellow teacher Toni Smith
agrees with Landram's assessment
of Bill's attitude towards
paddling.
"In spite of his image, Bill
hated to paddle. Actually, his
actions and feelings were rather
complex when it came to
(Please turn to page six.)
Thursday, June 8, 1978
Section of the Shelton-Mason County Journal
i,,
Middle School graduation set
Promotion ceremonies and a
dance honoring the 102
eighth-grade students at North
Mason Middle School will be
conducted on Thursday, June
15, 7:30 p.m. in the high school
gymnasium.
Reverend Don Fossum will
be the guest speaker. Pat Ruff,
school board mmber, will hand
out promotion certificates to the
students. Comments will also be
given by Tom Newman, ASB
president; Norman Sanders,
district superintendent; and Tom
Marrs, principal.
Following the promotion
ceremony, a dance will be
sponsored in the east addition of
the gym for participating
eighth.grade students. Parents are
requested to pick up students at
the gym door between 10:30
and L1 p.m.
Bey Steinke, representing the
Belfair Fire Department
Auxiliary, is organizing the
refreshments for the dance. Liz
Corliss is preparing the
certificates of promotion.
Loretta Hodge is head of the
committee decorating the
ceremony and dance areas.
Chaperones will include Mr.
and Mrs. Leland Stice, Donald
Rogers, Pat Thomas, Mr. and
Mrs. Hershel Quattlebaum and
Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Marks.
Committee members include
Mrs. Janyce Murphy, Bonnie
Ruff, Marlene Pease and Karin
Newman.
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
High school
graduation
tomorrow
Graduation exercises will be
conducted for 61 North Mason
High School seniors Friday, June
9, 8 p.m., in the high school
gymnasium. :
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
orth Mason's top seniors
Cheri Anderson
Kerry Burrell
Patricia Roberts
Karla Schillinger
Billy VanBuskirk
Denise Hite
Barbara McKnight
Stacey Kronquist
Bradley Nuszbaum
SUMMER RECREATION PROGRAM - BELFAIR
KID'S KINGDOM - Belfair Elementary School
Thursdays and Fridays, June 23-August 25, 11
a.m.-3 p.m. Supervised playground activities. Activities
will center around a different theme each week.
PARK TRIPS
Wednesdays, June 21, July 5, 19, August 2, 16,
23. Meet at Kid's Kingdom and travel to a park in the
county to play games and enjoy nature activities.
SWIMMING
Wednesdays, June 28, July 12, 26, August 9. Meet
at Kid's Kingdom and swim at Shelton High School
during the public swim time.
BACKPACKING
Wednesdays, June 28-July 25, 6 p.m.-8 p.m.,
(12-15 years old). Come learn to backpack. Five
clinics to learn the fundamentals of backpacking.
Practice what you've learned on a weekend overnight
hike - two nights in the Olympic National Forest.
Christine Whitehall
HIT AND RUN
Teresa Ball of Grapeview
reports on June 4 that someone
hit her car, then fled while she
was on the Mason Lake Road.
No injuries were reported.
DEWATTO DOINGS
Linda Maddux of Federal
Way reports on June 4 that a
chain saw and cooler were stolen
from her campsite near Dewatto.