[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 94 (Friday, July 9, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1342-E1343]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              HONORING THE MEMORY OF THE HON. JOHN HAWKINS

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. JO BONNER

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, July 9, 2004

  Mr. BONNER. Mr. Speaker, Jefferson County, Alabama, and indeed the 
entire state recently lost a dear friend, and I rise today to honor him 
and pay tribute to his memory.
  Representative John Hawkins was a devoted family man who spent over 
28 years in public service, serving from 1959 until 1965 in the Alabama 
House of Representatives, and from 1966 until 1974 in the Alabama State 
Senate. Following a period of sixteen years out of the public 
spotlight, he again answered the call to service and began a new period 
in the state house in 1990. He was continuing to represent House 
District 47 in the state capital when he became ill earlier this year.
  Throughout his professional career, he was dedicated to bringing 
better opportunities to all the residents of Hoover, Vestavia Hills, 
and Jefferson County in Alabama, and was a tireless advocate for his 
constituency. Representative Hawkins sponsored countless bills during 
his career in the legislature, but is perhaps best known for his 
championing the cause of automobile safety. In 1991, he was 
instrumental in the passage of Alabama's first state law that requires 
drivers and front-seat passengers to use safety belts. Eight years 
later, he helped to push through an amendment that gives police 
officers the authority to stop vehicle operators for violations of the 
seatbelt law alone.

[[Page E1343]]

  Representative Hawkins was also a strong proponent of projects 
designed to benefit the residents of his district. Throughout his 
career, he emphasized providing funding for such projects as library 
additions, a reading initiative for area schools, drug testing for 
student athletes, and a multitude of highway projects. In fact, his 
efforts at securing transportation funding for his district led the 
citizens of Hoover, Alabama, to request that four miles of Alabama 150 
be named after him because of his assistance in ensuring the widening 
of that highway.
  Representative Hawkins, a graduate of Marion Military Institute in 
Marion, Alabama, and the University of Alabama, was a distinguished 
veteran of World War II. He was retired from Alabama Power Company 
after a long tenure as a special projects manager.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in remembering a 
dedicated public servant and long-time advocate for Jefferson County, 
Alabama. Representative Hawkins will be deeply missed by his family--
his wife, Betty Hawkins, and his sons, John Hawkins, III, Bill Hawkins, 
and Davis Hawkins--as well as the countless friends he leaves behind. 
Our thoughts and prayers are with them all at this difficult time.

                          ____________________