Robert Hawkes Fonds-Biography

Robert Hawkes fonds

[textual records] .-- 1950-1997; (predominant 1969-1997).-- 80cm.

Biographical Sketch: Robert (Bob) Hawkes, educator and poet, was born in Coal Creek, Queens Co., New Brunswick, 19 March 1930. He began his teaching career in 1948 in a one-

room country school, and after thirteen years teaching in various New Brunswick public schools, he became an English instructor at the New Brunswick Teachers College in 1966.  After seven years at NBTC, Mr. Hawkes began a 16-year career as a professor of English Education and Language Arts at the University of New Brunswick, retiring in 1989 with the distinction of Professor Emeritus.  His academic degrees include a B.A. (Hons. English) UNB, 1956; B.Ed. UNB, 1963 and M.A. (Education) Dalhousie University 1966. He won the Bliss Carman Memorial Scholarship for undergraduate poetry in 1954 and 1955 and was awarded the Douglas Gold Medal in 1956 for his composition “The Irish theatre movement and its social and political background.” He held a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship for the academic year 1956-57 at Duke University where he completed graduate studies in American literature.

Although Mr. Hawkes began writing as a teenager, he did not write 'seriously' until the mid-1960s. For a period of twenty-five years, beginning in the early 1970s, his poetry has appeared in a wide variety of both independent and established Canadian literary periodicals. In addition to prose pieces on educational topics and a history of 19th century Queens County teachers, Mr. Hawkes is the author of three books and 6 chapbook collections of poetry and his work has been re-printed in several anthologies. From 1981-1996, Mr. Hawkes was a co-editor of poetry for The Fiddlehead and he served as poetry editor for The Cormorant from 1993-1996. He is a member of the League of Canadian Poets and the New Brunswick Writers' Federation.

Scope and Content: The fonds consists of manuscripts for seven of Mr. Hawkes poetry publications, along with some research notes, as well as printed material in the form of copies of literary, educational and religious periodicals containing both his poetry and prose. The manuscript and published material were created in the period 1960s to 1997. Also included in the fonds are two (2) pieces of correspondence: a letter from Desmond Pacey (1973) and a letter from Alden Nowlan (1976), and a listing of Mr. Hawkes published writing and editorial activities to September 1997.

The fonds comprises two (2) series:

1. Literary manuscripts and research notes [1970]-1997
2. Printed material 1950; 1965; 1969-1994; (predominant 1970-1977; 1990-1994)

Notes:

Title based on the content of the fonds.

Accompanying material: A copy of Mr. Hawkes 1989 publication In duty bound: Parish school teachers of Queens County, New Brunswick, 1818-1837. Fredericton: University of New Brunswick, was added to the circulating collection of the Harriet Irving Library.

Immediate source of acquisition: material received from Robert Hawkes on 17 May 1990, 13 June 1996 and 15-19 September 1997.

Accruals:Further accruals are expected.

Material received December 1998; July 2000

Related groups of records:

University of New Brunswick. Archives & Special Collections:
UA RG 83 UNB. Fiddlehead/Cogswell
UA RG 83a Fiddlehead Poetry Books
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