Harry Hawkins
1905 - 1977
He was never too busy. “If you want something done, ask a busy man.”
Harry Hawkins gained much of his fame for his activities with the University of Michigan football team in the early 1920s, but he had had an outstanding track record in industry with General Motors Corporation and in his civic endeavors with the Saginaw community.
Born in Bay City in 1905, Harry graduated from Arthur Hill High School in 1922 and was awarded the Julius Ippel Merit Cup, awarded to the outstanding member of the senior class. He served as President of the Student House of Representative, edited the yearbook, and was a charter member of the Letterman’s Association and its first president.
After graduating from Arthur Hill in 1922, Harry would attend the University of Michigan on a full scholarship. As an All-American at U of M, Harry would be called “one of the outstanding tackles of all time” by coach Fielding Yost. Harry was also a national champion in hammer throw on Michigan's track team, was elected senior class president and a member of Tau Beta Phi Honorary Engineering Society.
After graduation in 1926, Harry was first employed by the White Motor Company in Cleveland. In 1927, he married Ruth A. Goodwin, and eventually had two sons, Cordy and Harry. In 1936, Harry returned to Saginaw as Product Engineer at Saginaw Steering Gear. By 1940, Harry had become the Assistant Chief Engineer at Saginaw Steering Gear. He spent the next 17 years rising through the ranks, from Chief Engineer, to Service Manager, Plant Manager (2) and eventually, Director of Sales & Engineering.
When General Motors wanted power steering in the 1950s, General Manager Bud Doerfner put Harry in charge of an engineering corps to redefine the hydraulic assisted power steering system of 20 years earlier. By 1952, this newly designed power steering system was in all General Motors’ vehicles. In 1957, Harry received an Honored Alumni award from the University of Michigan for outstanding contributions to the field of engineering.
Additionally active in the community, Harry was elected to the Saginaw Board of the YMCA in 1952 and placed in charge of the Building Committee for the new building. He would eventually succeed Edward Morley as President of the YMCA in 1961. Harry's other civic achievements include; a trustee, and contributor to the creation of Delta College; a member of the Saginaw Club; a past president of the Arthur Hill "Letterwinners"; an inductee into the Saginaw County Sports Hall of Fame and University of Michigan Hall of Fame. In his honor, the Saginaw Club has created the Hawkins Award, which is presented to the most outstanding football player in Saginaw County.
Harry left the Saginaw area in 1963, when he became the General Manager of Rochester Products Division in Rochester, New York. Harry Hawkins died August 10, 1977.