Thomas Hawkins - '42

Thomas L. Hawkins was born in 1923 and moved to Glen Rock when he was a young child. Hawkins was very bright and athletic and had a gift for vocal music. He attended Ridgewood High School, as most Glen Rock students did at the time, graduating as a member of the RHS Class of 1942. At RHS, Hawkins was a member of the track and football teams, as well as the Glee Club and A Cappella Choir. He attended Mt. Bethel Baptist Church, where he sang in the Junior Choir.


Hawkins went on to attend Temple University’s School of Chiropody, but it was a time of war, and a college degree would have to wait. On March 17, 1943, he enlisted in the Army Air Forces and began training to become one of World War II’s famed Tuskegee Airmen. The recruits entered a groundbreaking program ordered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt over the objections of some of his top military leaders. Its goal was to train African American men to fly and maintain combat aircraft at a time when the United States, and its armed forces, remained deeply segregated.


In November 1944, Flight Officer Hawkins was assigned to the 100th Fighter Squadron of the 332nd Fighter Group. By January 1945, he had flown 28 missions and was credited with three aerial victories. He was awarded the Air Medal and Oak Leaf Cluster for bombing missions against German trains carrying supplies.


Hawkins soon became a flight leader, commanding a squadron of nine pilots. On March 7, 1945, Flight Officer Hawkins was killed in Italy when his plane crashed during takeoff for a combat mission. He was only 21 years old.


The legacy of Hawkins and his fellow Tuskegee Airmen extended far beyond their extraordinary service during World War II. Despite fighting for their country abroad, members of the 332nd Fighter Group returned home to a nation where racial discrimination remained widespread. Their courage, skill and exemplary performance in combat helped challenge long-held prejudices and contributed to the eventual integration of the U.S. military. In 1948, President Harry S. Truman signed Executive Order 9981, directing the desegregation of the Armed Forces. Nearly six decades later, in 2007, the Tuskegee Airmen collectively received the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of their service, achievements and sacrifices.


Hawkins’ name has long appeared on the Glen Rock War Memorial on the grounds of the Municipal Building, honoring a young man from the community who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to his country.


In 2026, his hometown bestowed an even more visible and lasting honor. The Glen Rock Board of Education renamed Central Elementary School Thomas L. Hawkins Central School, ensuring that generations of students will know the name and story of the Glen Rock and Ridgewood High School alumnus who became a Tuskegee Airman, broke racial barriers and gave his life in service to his country.


Thomas L. Hawkins was inducted into the Ridgewood High School Distinguished Alumni in 2020. 


CLASS YEAR

1942

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