William and Mary Alumni Magazine | Winter 2007/2008, Vol. 73, No. 2
Photo by Mark Mitchell
|
|
|
Randy Hawthorne's interest in running came at an early age. During recess in fourth grade he had to run to the baseball field faster than his classmates, so he could be first up at bat. "I wasn't any good at baseball," he said, "but I got to bat first many times."
He also discovered he wanted to major in accounting at a young age, after his father taught him how to keep books at the family-owned furniture store. From Arlington, Va., he came to the College and met his wife, Shelby '67, in biology class during the first week of classes. They married one week after graduation and, as he says, "Since she was marrying a track nut, she became a track nut."
After graduation and a short stint in the U.S. Army, Hawthorne joined a private accounting practice in Williamsburg, now Lent & Hawthorne, P.C.
Throughout his career, he has stayed very active with the William and Mary track team on many levels. For 23 years, starting as a freshman in 1963, he ran with the men's cross country team. At the age of 40 he couldn't keep up with the men, so from 1986 to 2002 he ran with the women's cross country team. He would leave his office every day at 3:30 p.m. and return at 6 p.m. to finish his work.
"Finally I was 58 and the women were 18, so I couldn't keep up with them anymore," says Hawthorne.
Although he doesn't run like he used to, he still logs at least 25 miles a week. He's run many marathons and even one 50-mile race, but once was enough he says.
Hawthorne has devoted the majority of his adult life to William and Mary track and field. From fundraising in order to keep the program afloat to housing student-athletes, Hawthorne has helped sustain a program that some say wouldn't be around without him.
In addition to attending every Colonial Relays, Hawthorne has traveled to watch William and Mary runners at NCAA and world championships and even the 1996 Olympic Games. He and his wife also welcomed hundreds of athletes into their Williamsburg home over the years, getting to know many of these students. Those 60 who have lived with them always became part of the family with their own chores to do around the house, such as doing the dishes or making a salad. One parent called the Hawthornes and said, "I don't know what you did to my son, but I've got four more I'm sending your way."
In the summer of 1976, John Randolph '64 left his track coaching position at William and Mary. "John told me that it was up to me to take care of the track team since he was leaving," Hawthorne says. Taking that call to heart, he sat down in front of his typewriter and wrote the first edition of "Track Talk," the newsletter for W&M track alumni. "I debated whether or not to put Volume 1, Number 1 on that issue because I wasn't sure there would ever be a Number 2," he says. "But now I just finished Volume 31."
With about 10 newsletters a year, Hawthorne kept approximately 600 track alumni and friends connected to the W&M track program. Recently he handed the project over to another alumnus, so alumni can now read "Track Talk" online at www.spikedshoesociety.org. Hawthorne has been the president of the Spiked Shoe Society since it started over 30 years ago.
In 1989, Hawthorne seriously started raising funds for W&M track. "In the past 20 years I have raised about $4 million," he says. He even started a brick program in 1999 that mimics the Alumni Association's program. Track alumni and friends purchase bricks that are placed on the John Randolph Memorial Walk. He's sold over 550 bricks to raise money for track scholarships. The track coaches don't have time to fundraise, according to Hawthorne, because they are in season 10 months out of the year. He's been told, "Any coach [at William and Mary] would tell you they'd love to have a Randy Hawthorne raising money for their program."
Randy and Shelby Hawthorne have endowed several scholarships for the track program. "Giving back to the College is our way of following Dr. Paschall's 'knitting together of the William and Mary generations,'" the couple says. Surely, there are many track and field student-athletes who feel the same way.
Linda Beerbower Burke '70 | Randall S. Hawthorne '67, J.D. '70, M.L.T. '71
Suzann Wilson Matthews '71 | Patrisia Bayliss Owens '62
A complete listing of Hawthornes' professional, civic and College involvement
