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At Home in the Lab
Ribbon Cutting
"This is a special day for the Propulsion Research Center as it is the realization of a dream to have a modern research facility in which our students, both graduate and undergraduate, can conduct relatively hazardous propulsion research on both rocket and air breathing propulsion systems. Our vision has consistently been to produce students with a practical feel for hardware. We can now do so with the latest tools for propulsion system diagnostics."
Proud Advisor
PRC Night at UAH Hockey Game
Santa Hawk!
Proud Grandpa :-)
Pick Pocket!
Hitting Series
Big 70th!
16 comments:
Dr. Hawk will be an enduring presence in spite of his sudden and untimely passing. He left a legacy of well over a hundred students who are making their mark in the world, and he guided a research faculty and staff to beoome a major center for propulsion and related technologies. He achieved world-wide recognition and many honors and awards, but perhaps the one he may not have realized was his at the time, but that he would have felt was the most important of all, was the sudden, deep outpouring of grief from so many hundreds of people in the community and the aerospace industry at his passing, and their concern for his wife Julie and their family. I hope he knew at least to some extent that he had been a force for good in so many lives, and that they would be so saddened when he could no longer be with us all. His last "official" words to me before he left, since he could not be present at a thesis defense, were "Carry on without me". And in his honor we intend to do just that.
Dr. Hawk.....words are hard to find to express the loss of such a Great Intellect,Pioneer,Motivator, Humanitarian,Believer in people...Chaser of a Dream, I say these words because in the short time that I had to experience Dr. Hawk he was all of these things and then some wrapped up into one, a man with a dream and sincere belief that with determination and perserverance dreams could come true. My name is Randy Brackins, I am a freshman at UAH and had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Hawk through Mr. David Mayo. In that meeting I was explaining my dreams to Dr. Hawk and he listened to me for a while, engaged in a Q&A session, observed my responses...Then I will always remember this until the day that I die... Dr. Hawk asked me if I would like an opportunity to work in research and he would guide me to my dreams, he said he liked my ambition and that he ran a tight ship. I responded as tears ran down my face to have an opportunity and a blessing fo fall in my hands...He the asked me what was on my mind, I replied I am thanking God for the blessing he has given to me through you...Dr Hawk smiled at me, and gave me a hug and said we will get you there....From that moment I knew that not only was there a God, but he had placed one of his angels amongst me to answer my prayers. You see at that point I did not know who Dr. Hawk was or his position in Research...I just knew I had met a great man with belief in me and stated that he saw something special in me...He encouraged me more than anyone will ever know. later that evening Mr. David Mayo told me who he was and I was amazed to know that a person of such influence would take interest in a freshman like me and give me the opportunity to not only chase my dream, but offer his help by putting me under his wing and personally taking me to the Research team and telling them ... "Hey this guy is a freebie take care of him". I made myself a promise and if you are reading this... Dr. Hawk, I promise I will complete my BS/PHD in Aerospace/Propulsion...and be it Gods will It will be here at UAH. I will continue to look past the rough edges and find that something special in our freshmen the way you explained you did in me. I want to say Thank You...you will forever be the driving part in my heart, I will keep my promise to you ..just like you kept yours to me....May God be with you for Eternity and Rest in Peace. Thanks for believeing in me.
Dr. Hawk.....words are hard to find to express the loss of such a Great Intellect, My name is Randy Brackins, I am a freshman at UAH and had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Hawk through Mr. David Mayo. In that meeting I was explaining my dreams to Dr. Hawk and he listened to me for a while, engaged in a Q&A session, observed my responses...Then I will always remember this until the day that I die... Dr. Hawk asked me if I would like an opportunity to work in research and he would guide me to my dreams, he said he liked my ambition and that he ran a tight ship. I responded as tears ran down my face to have an opportunity and a blessing fo fall in my hands...He the asked me what was on my mind, I replied I am thanking God for the blessing he has given to me through you...Dr Hawk smiled at me, and gave me a hug and said we will get you there....From that moment I knew that not only was there a God, but he had placed one of his angels amongst me to answer my prayers. You see at that point I did not know who Dr. Hawk was or his position in Research...I just knew I had met a great man with belief in me and stated that he saw something special in me...He encouraged me more than anyone will ever know. later that evening Mr. David Mayo told me who he was and I was amazed to know that a person of such influence would take interest in a freshman like me and give me the opportunity to not only chase my dream, but offer his help by putting me under his wing and personally taking me to the Research team and telling them ... "Hey this guy is a freebie take care of him". I made myself a promise and if you are reading this... Dr. Hawk, I promise I will complete my BS/PHD in Aerospace/Propulsion...and be it Gods will It will be here at UAH. I will continue to look past the rough edges and find that something special in our freshmen the way you explained you did in me. I want to say Thank You...you will forever be the driving part in my heart, I will keep my promise to you ..just like you kept yours to me....May God be with you for Eternity and Rest in Peace. Thanks for believeing in me.
Visionary Created a Success
Friday, February 29, 2008
Huntsville Times
Staff Writerpat.newcomb@htimes.com
Dr. Clark Hawk
UAH Propulsion Research Center
By PAT NEWCOMB
When Dr. Clark Hawk got to the University of Alabama in Huntsville in 1991, the Propulsion Research Center was nothing more than an idea, a couple of desks and a few computers.
Today, the center Hawk directed for 17 years has grown to one that generates about $3.5 million in research grants each year and produces rocket scientists who go on to work in some of the top industries.
Hawk, said Dr. Bob Frederick, the center's associate director, "was a visionary."
Hawk died Tuesday at age 71. Services are being handled by Laughlin Service Funeral Home.
When he got a call that UAH was going to start a propulsion center, Hawk was director of the propulsion division for the Air Force Rocket Propulsion Laboratory at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
He asked who the university was looking for.
"Somebody like you," Frederick said Hawk was told.
Hawk was a year away from retirement, but he always liked a challenge, his wife, Julie Hawk, said.
He was a risk taker," she said of her baseball-loving, ballroom dancing partner of a husband.
When he arrived at UAH, he had talked Frederick and Dr. Hugh Coleman into coming with him.
"We were the Marines who hit the beach on the first day," Frederick said. Coleman was the academic who knew how to navigate the university world, and "I was the young, energetic guy who didn't know better."
Hawk "came with 100 pounds of enthusiasm and a lot of ideas," working the contacts he had made since he started in the propulsion industry in 1958, Frederick said. Leaving a restaurant with him, even to this day, took forever because he had to work the room on his way out, Coleman said.
Despite the industry reviews that gave the fledgling center little hope of getting off the ground, Hawk got Thiokol and the Army quickly on board. Thiokol even gave the new center furniture out of its warehouse.
Today, the center is working with more than a dozen high-tech companies as well as partnering with some of the top propulsion research universities in the country, including Penn State, where Hawk received his bachelor's degree and Purdue, where he got his Ph.D.
"He wanted UAH to be a name people said when they thought of propulsion," Frederick said.
Hawk also wanted to create a research center that was about the students as much as it was about connecting to industry.
"His idea was the center would be highly tied to the academic part of the university," Coleman said.
Hawk was especially proud of the collaboration of several university departments in the center and undergraduate students' work on research projects.
The center has 17 graduate and 14 undergraduate students on staff. Since 1991, the program has produced 24 Ph.Ds and 90 master's degrees.
While running the center, Hawk also taught classes and went through the tenure process to become a full professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering. In 2005, he received a research award from UAH, which was in recognition of the center's work.
"He saw it as kind of a recognition that he had achieved, what this family of faculty and students had achieved, as validation of that," Coleman said.
Hawk was scheduled to retire in June but he was still out promoting the center. He went straight from a business trip to Utah, where he and his wife were meeting their son, Brian, and his family for a ski trip.
He had just finished a downhill run when he collapsed, Julie Hawk said. Medical personnel worked for 45 minutes to revive him but Hawk died there of an apparent heart attack.
"He died doing something he loved," and quickly, which is what he always said he wanted, Julie Hawk said.
"It just seemed so young for him. He was so full of life."
My name is Maggie Frank. I am a Jr. at UAH and have been work for Dr. Hawk since spring 2006. This is how I will always remember Dr. Hawk
To me Dr. Hawk was not only my boss but more of a great friend. He was always there for me when I needed him. If it were not for him I know I would not be going to UAH right now. During my senior year of high school, he gave me the opportunity to work for the Propulsion Research Center my second semester in college. It seemed like this was his favorite story to tell about me to all of the people in industry. I have heard him tell this story so many times that it came expected of him. In 2005 -- my senior year in high school – I was required to complete a senior project. The project that I decided to do involved Rocketry. My mom found the PRC on line and called Dr. Hawk to see if I could follow him around for the day and see what the PRC was all about. He told her to send me on down and put me with a few of the graduate students that day. They showed me around and took me out to NASA to see some of the stuff out there and ever since that day I knew that UAH is where I wanted to go to school and that the PRC is where I wanted to get a job. Dr. Hawk told me to contact him after my second semester at UAH and he would see how he could get me involved with someone on a project. As soon as I got back to school in spring 2006 I called Dr. Hawk and told him I still wanted to volunteer at the PRC. Sure enough, he immediately put me on a project under Dr. Lineberry and I have been working on that project ever since. During the summer of 2006, Dr. Hawk asked me if I wanted to come on as an employee because he recognized the interest I had in the work.
One semester I was running a few hours short of a full time student. I went to talk to Dr. Hawk about it to see if he could suggest anything for me because I knew that if I did not have 12 hrs then I was sure I was going to lose my job. He said talk to Dr. Lineberry and see if you can do an independent studies class. Dr. Lineberry and I came up with a topic for me to write a paper which had to do with a few of the projects that were going on at the PRC. We passed it through Dr. Hawk and he said that he would be the main professor but that I would work with Dr. Lineberry until I gave my presentation to both of them. This story is indicative of the compassion Dr. Hawk demonstrated for all his students.
He was a true inspiration for me to learn more about propulsion. So to me he was also an inspirational leader. In the morning I am excited about going to work and learning what I can about propulsion.
He was also a true man of God. You could always tell that one of his major priorities in life was to be a follower of God. He always had a smile on his face which made all of us put a smile on.
He loved to get all of the PRC people together for parties and have a good time. I think his one of his favorite parties was the Christmas parties. Those were always so much fun to see him wearing his red vest and Santa hat. During these times he was more like a kid then I think some of the kids were. All of the people at the PRC were not just his staff we were his kids and his family. Because he thought of us as a family I know I consider everyone at the PRC family.
I was also going through some times where I did not think I was going to be able to stay at UAH. When I talked to Dr. Hawk about it he would always tell me “who do I need to talk to, to ensure that I stay at UAH?”
Also, he always demonstrated a concern for my family. He knew them by name and when inquiring about their well-being he would not ask “how’s the family” was but rather “how are Patti, Claye, and Meredith doing.” To me, that really shows what a family person Dr. Hawk really was.
I know that he will be really missed not only by me but of all the people that ever crossed his path. The one thing that everyone keeps saying is that at least he went doing something he loved and not behind a desk at work. He will be truly missed.
When I came to UAH for grad school, my first class (propulsion) was taught by Dr. Hawk. After finishing his class, whenever I would run into Dr. Hawk he would always greet me with "Well . . . what the hell are you doing here?" I will always remember him as gruff, to the point, an excellent teacher, frequently a hard ass, full of practical knowledge, and overall pretty hilarious.
I requested Dr. Hawk to be a member of my thesis committee. This guy has proven himself, over and over again, as a top notch rocket scientist. He didn't have to spend a single second of his time on any activity remotely related to me or my thesis, but he agreed to be on the committee, and even took time out of his day to discuss how to tackle various technical challenges I encountered along with way. I really felt honored that he agreed to do commit his time.
I was shocked to hear of his passing. Fortunately he has contributed so much before his death, which is far more than most people can even hope to do. God bless.
I wrote the following for Dr. Hawk one day before he passed, in preparation for his retirement:
Dear Dr. Hawk,
I first came face to face with you in the summer of 1999, when I was a new PhD student here at UAH. Even though I didn't have any direct interactions with you at the time, I was scared to death of you because of your larger than life presence and those stern, commanding facial expressions. When you brought me on board the Propulsion Research Center in my first real job, I quickly learned that you had high expectations, but were here to take care of us all. You helped me learn how to speak more directly, and know how to answer questions such as, "In a single sentence, can you tell me what you are doing?" and "Is there a pony in the pile?". The words of wisdom imparted have become invaluable tools in my new career as a rocket scientist, and for all of your help, guidance, sage advice, and support, I will be forever grateful. I will sincerely miss the stories you shared with me in your office.
Finally, while these last words are not mine, when I heard them I immediately thought of you and what you have been to the students and staff of the Propulsion Research Center. If we were to put all the people of the world on a fleet of spacecraft, most would be the crew and passengers serving important functions for basic operation. A sizeable, but select few would be the captains and other officers. And rarer still, but most importantly, there would be a navigator to tell us to which star to point the ships. Dr. Hawk, you are a navigator, and thank you for guiding us all of these years.
"Go for it". Three words are all that I had to hear, knowing that he was there to back me up whenever I was uncertain about whether a particular venture I proposed to pursue was within my abilities. True to his word he was always there to provide his "small" push (in his words) to see the venture through. Throughout my day to day interaction with him as staff at the PRC I found a person with a solid moral compass whose range extended from compassion to integrity and frank honesty. It is still hard to comprehend that Dr.Hawk would not be there when I get to work everyday. He leaves a void in my life that would be hard to fill.
It has been an honor to work with Dr. Hawk. I can remember the first time I met Dr. Hawk, which started with an intense conversation all about me. He not only cared about what you where doing for him as an employee, but he took the time to know where you were from and where you wanted to go in life.
Dr. Hawk wanted the best for his students but also had high expectations. During staff meetings Dr. Hawk would pick a random research student to present a "Surprise, Surprise," which is basically a one sentence summary of your research. The summary was followed by questions from the rest of the staff. "Always be prepared," he said. "Know what you're doing and make sure you can explain it to the common person." These words didn't quite register for me until it was my "Surprise, Surprise." After being drilled and questioned for about 5 minutes, I quickly sat down and was greatly humbled by my performance. But that was the way Dr. Hawk taught. He wasn't afraid to put you on the spot, because he knew it built character.
Dr. Hawk, thank you for all the life lessons you've taught me.
My name is Makoto Kohga.
I worked at PRC from July, 2001 to August, 2008.
I am very sorry to hear the sudden death.
Dr. Hawk was such a wonderful man and I have great respect for him.
He accepted to study at PRC as a visiting scholar for 14 months.
I have remembered an event arriving at Huntsville to research with my family. An airplane was behind schedule because of very bad weather and I got to Huntsville at midnight. Then he had waited me at Huntsville airport. I was very deeply grateful to him for his kindness.
He supported the life of my family in Huntsville and gave me an opportunity to work with Dr. Frederick and Dr. Moser. I had a nice experience to research at PRC
Dr. Hawk will live forever in me.
I owe so much in my life to Clark Hawk. I had finished my master’s degree at the University of Washington in December 1991 and had been unsuccessful in trying to find a job in the aerospace industry. On Easter Sunday 1992 I was sitting in my apartment in Seattle, Washington, beginning to plan my next move when the phone rang. The previous Friday had been my deadline to either find a job in aerospace, preferably in propulsion, or return to my facility mechanical engineering design career. I answered the phone and heard, “this is Dr. Clark Hawk of the Propulsion Research Center at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and I want to talk to you about coming down to work on a Ph.D. in propulsion.” My reply back to him was something like, “I don’t want a Ph.D., I don’t want to be some academic egghead sitting at a desk in the corner doing research, I want to build hardware.” “Well, that’s exactly what we intend to do, our student’s are going to be integrally involved in developing and conducting research, we plan to build facilities and to perform propulsion research with testing, this is going to be a different kind of university research center” replied Clark. So almost on a lark (I didn’t have a job, so I had nothing to lose), I made my way down to Huntsville for a visit, and the second phase of my engineering career began. There were certainly events during my time at the PRC where Clark and I, and it was usually Jim Sanders and I teaming up on him, strongly disagreed with some aspect of the PRC’s path, but I always respected and admired him. Many times after graduating and leaving the PRC, I would call him up and seek his thoughts on a propulsion problem. So I credit my success and achievement at NASA to him; and it’s a true testament to his legacy to look around the field of propulsion and see how many graduates of the Propulsion Research Center are leading the nation’s propulsion research and development. But more importantly, without Clark calling me up, I would have never came to Huntsville, met my wife or have the beautiful family I have today. Perhaps the most amazing aspect about Clark is that when I initially responded that I didn’t want a Ph.D., a point where 99.9% of professors would have stopped and said good-bye, Clark didn’t and I’ll be eternally grateful for it.
My name is Makoto Kohga.
I worked at PRC from July, 2001 to August, 2008.
I am very sorry to hear the sudden death.
Dr. Hawk was such a wonderful man and I have great respect for him.
He accepted to study at PRC as a visiting scholar for 14 months.
I have remembered an event arriving at Huntsville to research with my family. An airplane was behind schedule because of very bad weather and I got to Huntsville at midnight. Then he had waited me at Huntsville airport. I was very deeply grateful to him for his kindness.
He supported the life of my family in Huntsville and gave me an opportunity to work with Dr. Frederick and Dr. Moser. I had a nice experience to research at PRC
Dr. Hawk will live forever in me.
My name is Audley Mitchell. I attended UAH from 95-98. I just learned of the death of Dr. Hawk.
I had the opportunity to meet Dr. Hawk one day while taking a short cut through the PRC. Very engaging, very direct, very inspiring. We communicated frequently from that day until I graduated.
I worked for a short time at the PRC. On one occasion - due to my laxity - he "roughed me up" and to this day I remember and appreciate his wisdom and forthrightness. My sincere condolences to Dr. Hawk's family, friends and colleagues.
Academia has lost a visionary, Huntsville has lost a good citizen.
I pray that he was faithful to his commitment to God so that he may inherit eternal life with the master.
My name is Holley Britton and I am a PhD graduate student in the Civil Engineering Department. I was completely heartbroken when I learned the news about Dr Hawk. You see, Dr Hawk had a huge impact on my life. He is the reason I am a graduate student. You see, as an undergraduate student, I was a research assistent for him. I helped him research Fresnel lens back in the mid 90's. When I was a senior I came to him for advice. I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. I had a low gpa and most people were shocked that I even went into engineering. I talked with Dr Hawk and told him I didn't know what to do becasue I didn't think I could get into grad school becasue my gpa was too low. He told me the story about how he was told he would never be an engineer. He told me to go and prove everyone wrong just like he had done. He wrote me letters of reccomendation to the graduate program at UTSI. He also got my resume and basically rewrote it and then called a contact of his at McDonell Douglas and I got an interview. After praying about what to do, I decided that I would choose whichever path presented itself first. I got accepted into grad school at UTSI. Two weeks later I got a call back at Mcdonell Douglas. You see, whichever path I would have chosen, Dr Hawk paved the way for me and made the opprotunities happen. I chose grad school. I graduated from UTSI and I still wanted more. I worked for a few years and then decided I had to get my PhD do be fully satisfied. I applied to the structures program in the civil department at UAH and I was accepted. When it was time to pick my dissertation committee, I knew Dr Hawk had to be on my committee becasue he was the reason I had come this far. He believed in me when even I didn't believe in myself. He was on my committee and back in November when I was preparing my proposal, I asked him for advice. He completely read my proposal and redlined it for me and then had me come to his office to go over it. He talked with me for a long time about what I needed to do and then just about life in general. He got excited telling me about how he played baseball with the California Angles at spring training and how he was still playing baseball. I play softball so we talked awhile about our love for the game. He told me about his new grandson Lorenzo and about how he planned to retire in the spring. I was saddened that he wouldn't be around school all the time. He said he didn't know what he was going to do when he retired because this was all he knew. I told him he could play more baseball and spend more time with Lorenzo. Before I left, he showed me a small Osprey figurine on his desk. I was shocked to see it. You see, I had given him that Osprey back in 1996. I had gotten it in Montana when I was on vacation with my family because his car tag said Osprey and I had never seen one until I got to Montana. So when I saw it, I had to get it for him. I was so touched that he had kept it all these years. Even through the move from the old propulsion lab across the street, he still had that littel osprey.Dr Hawk had a great impact on my life and I will never forget him. At my oral exam for my proposal, after my committee had brought me back in to the room to tell me whether I passed or not, Dr Hawk said, "I got got some good news and some bad news. The good news is, you passed. The bad news is, you passed." He said now you have to go and do this dissertation that you have proposed. I will Dr Hawk, I will.
My name is Holley Britton and I am a PhD graduate student in the Civil Department. I was completely heartbroken when I learned the news about Dr Hawk. You see, Dr Hawk had a huge impact on my life. He is the reason I am a graduate student. As an undergraduate student, I was a research assistent for him. I helped him research Fresnel lens back in the mid 90's. When I was a senior I came to him for advice. I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. I had a low gpa and most people were shocked that I even went into engineering. I talked with Dr Hawk and told him I didn't know what to do becasue I didn't think I could get into grad school becasue my gpa was too low. He told me the story about how he was told he would never be an engineer. He told me to go and prove everyone wrong just like he had done. He wrote me letters of reccomendation to the graduate program at UTSI. He also got my resume and basically rewrote it and then called a contact of his at McDonell Douglas and I got an interview. After praying about what to do, I decided that I would choose whichever path presented itself first. I got accepted into grad school on probation at UTSI. Two weeks later I got a call back at Mcdonell Douglas. You see, whichever path I would have chosen, Dr Hawk paved the way for me and made the opprotunities happen. I chose grad school. I graduated from UTSI and I still wanted more. I worked for a few years and then decided I had to get my PhD do be fully satisfied. I applied to the structures program in the civil department and was accepted. When it was time to pick my dissertation committee, I knew Dr Hawk had to be on my committee becasue he was the reason I had come this far. He believed in me when even I didn't believe in myself. He was on my committee and back in November when I was preparing my proposal, I asked him for advice. He completely read my proposal and redlined it for me and then had me come to his office to go over it. He talked with me for a long time about what I needed to do and then just about life in general. He got excited telling me about how he played baseball with the California Angles at spring training and how he was still playing baseball. I play softball so we talked awhile about our love for the game. He told me about his new grandson Lorenzo and about how he planned to retire in the spring. I was saddened that he wouldn't be around school all the time. He said he didn't know what he was going to do when he retired because this was all he knew. I told him he could play more baseball and spend more time with Lorenzo. Before I left, he showed me a small Osprey figurine on his desk. I was shocked to see it. I had given him that Osprey back in 1996. I had gotten it in Montana when I was on vacation with my family because his car tag said Osprey and I had never seen one until I got to Montana. So when I saw it, I had to get it for him. I was so touched that he had kept it all these years. Even through the move from the old propulsion lab across the street, he still had that little osprey. Dr Hawk had a great impact on my life and I will never forget him. At my oral exam for my proposal, after my committee had brought me back in to the room to tell me whether I passed or not, Dr Hawk said, "I got got some good news and some bad news. The good news is, you passed. The bad news is, you passed." He said now you have to go and do this dissertation that you have proposed. I will Dr Hawk, I will.
Visionary.....Charismatic Leader......but most importantly......Dr. Hawk was a MOTIVATOR. After knowing and working with him for almost 7 years, that's the one thing that I know people that worked closely with him, and those that knew him loved about him. He also was so approachable and easy to talk to after you got past his somewhat intimidating exterior :-) As someone already mentioned, "Go for it" was three words that you would often hear him say if you (or anyone) came to him with an idea or a goal that they wanted his back up to try and attain......he was always there to be a form of encouragement in his own way, because he loved to see anyone tackle a task "full speed ahead," and be successful with it. He encouraged me to pursue my graduate studies in Public Administration/Political Science and often questioned me on my progress. True to his word, as someone else also mentioned in their blog, he understood that a characteristic of being a good leader was following through on whatever your word was, and he always did. He lead to be an example, and for that, I thank him. He will forever be emblazoned in my memory and my heart for his outstanding fortitude and grace.
We miss you, Dr. Hawk.
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