[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 19 (Tuesday, January 31, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E234-E235]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                            C. WAYNE HAWKINS

                                 ______


                      HON. G.V. (SONNY) MONTGOMERY

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, January 31, 1995
  Mr. MONTGOMERY. Mr. Speaker, today a very good friend of veterans, 
Mr. C. Wayne Hawkins, retired from the Department of Veterans Affairs 
after 37 years of dedicated Federal service. I had planned to attend a 
reception in his honor yesterday; however, votes in the House prevented 
me from doing so. I regret I could not join his many friends and 
colleagues to thank him for his outstanding service to our Nation's 
veterans. I came to know Wayne through his many appearances before our 
committee. He established a reputation among our members as both an 
outstanding administrator and a straight shooter whose commitment to 
the veteran and the VA system were unshakeable.
  Wayne Hawkins' distinguished career as a health care administrator, 
educator, and veterans' advocate is evidenced by the positive impact he 
has had on the provision of compassionate, quality health care both 
within the Department of Veterans Affairs and the health care 
community.
  Prior to his retirement, Wayne was the Deputy Under Secretary for 
Health for Administration and Operations, the highest position ever 
held by a nonclinician within the Veterans Health Administration [VHA], 
the health care arm of the Department of Veterans Affairs. In this 
position, Wayne served as the chief operating officer for one of the 
largest corporate health care systems in the country which plays an 
integral part in educating physicians, nurses, dentists, and allied 
health care practitioners; providing quality medical care to our 
Nation's veterans; conducting medical research, and serving as medical 
backup to the Department of Defense during a time of war or national 
disaster. He was responsible for the operational management of 171 
medical centers, 353 outpatient clinics, 128 nursing 
[[Page E235]] homes, and 37 domiciliaries, which employ more than 
200,000 personnel with a $16.7 billion annual budget.
  Mr. Speaker, Wayne was born in Rogersville, TN on August 21, 1935. He 
received a B.S. degree from East Tennessee State University in 1957 and 
an M.S. in health care administration from the University of Minnesota 
in 1971. He completed graduate work in health systems management at 
Harvard University, and is a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and 
General Staff College.
  Wayne began his VA career in 1957 as a rehabilitation therapist at 
the Mountain Home VA Medical Center in Johnson City, TN. During his VA 
career, Mr. Hawkins also served as a personnel manager and later as an 
associate director at VA facilities in Asheville, NC, Biloxi, MS, 
Atlanta, GA, Waco, TX, Spokane, WA, Portland, OR, Nashville, TN, and 
Dallas, TX. Prior to his January 1991 appointment as the Deputy Under 
Secretary for Health for Administration and Operations in Washington, 
DC, Wayne served as director of the VA Medical Center in Dallas, TX for 
15 years.
  Wayne has an equally distinguished military career, retiring after 33 
years in the active and Army Reserve with the rank of Colonel. He 
served as the chief of staff of the 807th Medical Brigade in 
Seagoville, TX, from 1979 to 1985, then as executive officer of the 
94th General Hospital in Mesquite, TX, until his retirement in 1987.
  Mr. Speaker, Wayne Hawkins' contributions extend beyond his role as a 
Federal health care executive. He served in major leadership roles in 
the Texas Hospital Association and the American Hospital Association, 
as president of VA's
 chapter of the Senior Executive Association, and holds faculty and 
preceptorship appointments at a number of prestigious universities. He 
is a member of the American College of Health Care Executives and was 
inducted as a fellow in 1991.

  Wayne has received many awards during his career, including the 
Department of Veterans Affairs' Distinguished Career Award, the 
Presidential Rank Award for Distinguished Executive and the 
Presidential Rank Award for Meritorious Executive, the Ray E. Brown 
Award for Outstanding Accomplishment in Health Care Management, and the 
Outstanding Federal Services Health Administrator Award from the 
Association of Military Surgeons of the United States, and the Army's 
Legion of Merit and Exceptional Leadership Award. Other honors include 
induction as an honorary member of the Sigma Theta Tau International 
Honor Society of Nursing, and honorary lifetime member of the American 
Academy of Medical Administrators.
  It would be difficult for me to list all of Wayne's many 
accomplishments during his 37-year career with the VA, but I would like 
to highlight just a few. He chaired the Chief Medical Director's 
Advisory Committee on Construction over a 10 year period which led to 
the reorganization of the construction program to VHA. This 
reorganization decentralized the decisionmaking process to local 
directors and provided a opportunity to explore different methods of 
design. He was a leader in developing the model for satellite 
outpatient clinics in VA, and served as the project manager for the 
construction and activation of one of the first satellite clinics in 
Chattanooga, TN, in 1974.
  Over a 15-year period he developed the Dallas VA Medical Center into 
one of VA's flagship hospitals, taking a leadership role in patient 
care, education, and research. He has always been a strong advocate for 
including employees, veteran service organizations, and the community 
in the decisionmaking process. He was an early advocate for the 
homeless veterans program and established the first comprehensive 
treatment center for chronic mentally ill veterans at the Dallas VA 
Medical Center. He was instrumental in restructuring the role of 
canteen service as a major contributor in meeting the customer's needs 
and opened the VA's first food court in the early 1980's.
  During his tenure in VA Central Office, Wayne was recognized as a 
strong advocate for the decentralization and empowerment of medical 
center directors. Throughout his career, Wayne Hawkins has consistently 
held the respect of his superiors, his peers, and subordinates due to 
his integrity, honesty, and decisiveness. He has frequently been 
credited with his visionary capability and his ability to manage many 
complex issues at any one time. However, his No. 1 priority never 
changed--doing what was right for America's veterans.
  The VA health care system has certainly undergone many far-reaching 
changes over the course of Wayne's long, distinguished career. Over 
those years, the demands on, and expectations of, VA medical facilities 
have mushroomed. Although VA has successfully met many of those 
challenges, I believe many of those successes are in no small measure a 
tribute to the kind of leadership and example set by Wayne Hawkins.
  Upon his retirement, Wayne can take pride in the knowledge that he is 
among a distinguished few who will be remembered as individuals whose 
careers as VA clinicians, administrators, and key advisers to top 
leadership have left a lasting imprint--both on the VA system and on 
the many veterans who depend on it.
  Mr. Speaker, Wayne Hawkins exemplifies the very best in public 
service--responsibility and accountability to self, fellow employees, 
those he serves, and the community. His vision and requisite knowledge 
to project future trends, zeal for excellence, and determination to see 
initiatives through to their successful conclusion are some of the 
qualities which have ensured his continued success for almost four 
decades. The honors and awards that the VA, veterans service 
organizations, and the health care community have bestowed upon him are 
testament to both the depth of his service commitment and the impact of 
his efforts.
  Although Wayne is retiring from Government service, he is not leaving 
the health care community. We wish him the very best in his new career 
and know that he will continue to be an advocate for veterans and a 
friend to the VA.


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