Tommy Hawkins, a notable athlete known as "The Hawk," left a rich legacy of sports and community engagement that was overshadowed by recent events. The fires that devastated Malibu not only claimed lives and properties, but also the memories held by his wife Layla, who has lost their shared life’s treasures. Hawkins, who was instrumental in integrating schools as a high school athlete in the 1950s, remains a significant figure in Los Angeles sports history, despite his relatively low profile in recent years. His achievements and experiences deserve acknowledgment especially amidst such tragedy.
When he died in August of 2017, at age 80, it was duly noted around Los Angeles, but nobody lowered the flags to half-staff at City Hall in Malibu.
Tommy became known as "The Hawk" out of Parker High in Chicago, where he was one of 25 black kids sent out to begin school integration.
His mother instilled in him the belief that, if Jackie Robinson could break the color barrier, then so could he.
The inferno that raged across the Palisades on Jan. 7 took thousands of homes and several lives, ravaging the area where Tommy and Layla had lived.
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