UO ALUMNI ASSOCIATION GIVES HIGHEST HONORS TO VETERAN UO ADMINISTRATOR, PULITZER PRIZE WINNER
May 18, 2000
Contact Tom Hager (541) 346-3131
Source Paul Stieber (541) 346-5878
EDITOR’S NOTE
: To obtain tiff file photos of Ray Hawk and Alex Tizon, call the UO Office of Communications, (541) 346-3134.EUGENE–A longtime university administrator and a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter will receive the University of Oregon Alumni Association’s highest awards in 2000.
N. Ray Hawk ‘47, M.S. ‘48 D.Ed. ‘49, a longtime UO administrator and supporter, will be honored as the Distinguished Alumnus. Seattle Times reporter and 1997 Pulitzer Prize winner Alex Tizon ‘84 is the 2000 Outstanding Young Alumnus. Both men will be honored during UO spring commencement exercises on June 10 in Eugene. The awards recognize outstanding individuals who have attained extraordinary distinction in their chosen professional fields or by personal endeavor.
"Ray’s commitment to the university and the Eugene community–now spanning six decades–made him a natural choice for the award. The University of Oregon is a better place because of him," says Dan Rodriguez, UO Alumni Association executive director. "Alex is one of the university’s young stars, and we’re pleased to be able to honor him and highlight his achievements."
Tizon was born in Manila and immigrated with his family to the United States at the age of four. He studied political science at the UO before earning a M.A. in journalism from Stanford University in 1986. He writes about American subcultures for the Seattle Times, where he has been a staff reporter for nearly 14 years. The Times has nominated him five times for a Pulitzer Prize; in 1997, he received a Pulitzer in investigative journalism for a series of stories exposing widespread fraud in the federal Indian Housing Program.
Hawk was raised in Southern Oregon and has been associated with the University of Oregon since 1940, when he transferred from Southern Oregon State College and began a relationship with the UO that continues to this day.
At the University of Oregon, Hawk served as dean of men, assistant to the president, dean of administration, and vice president for administration and finance. He officially retired in 1983, but has kept active in university affairs.
At the age of 82, Hawk’s volunteer activities include:
• Writing the 15—20 page Friars’ Scroll newsletter, which he mails twice a year to 800 UO alumni who were tapped for Friars, a senior honorary society.
• Organizing Friar reunions.
• Fundraising for the Friars scholarship endowment.
• Helping the university’s other private fundraising by identifying prospective donors and soliciting contributions by letter and in person.
From 1962—1966, Hawk was a member of the Eugene City Council, and he has served community organizations such as the YMCA, WISTEC and the Pioneer Memorial Cemetery Association. In 1990, he received the Jeanne Johnson Alumni Service Award from the UO Alumni Association and, in 1992, Hawk was named Eugene’s First Citizen.
"One of my sons asked me, ‘Dad, how do you expect any of us to fill your shoes?’" Hawk recalls. "And I said, ‘Just get out there and start working.’"
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