IU replaces diploma lost in Hurricane Katrina

Dorothy Hawkins-Brooks lost everything she owned in Hurricane Katrina. All she really wanted back were the two pieces of paper that represented her college education.\nIU Director of Development Joe Kappel was having a conversation with Hawkins-Brooks, IU alumna and Jackson State University faculty member, over the phone when she told him about how she lost her home and all her possessions in the hurricane. When he asked her what IU could do for her, she said all she wanted was her diploma from the School of Education and her dissertation.\nWhen Kappel told School of Education Dean Gerardo Gonzalez, Gonzalez was so deeply touched that he wanted to personally deliver the documents to Hawkins–Brooks himself. \n“Gonzalez was moved that she lost everything, but what she wanted more than anything else was something that represented her higher education,” said School of Education spokesman Chuck Carney, who also went to Jackson with Kappel and Gonzalez to deliver the diploma. \nWhen Jackson State found out that representatives from IU were coming to deliver her dissertation and diploma, the school set up an elaborate tribute to the beloved instructor. On Jan. 14 at Edison Walthall Hotel, nearly 100 former students and friends came to the event, where the state of Mississippi gave her a proclamation, and Gonzalez spoke on her behalf. \nHawkins-Brooks began teaching in 1940 at Velena C. Jones Elementary School in New Orleans. She taught there for 16 years before she took the reins as principal. After that, she became principal of another elementary school in the ninth ward of New Orleans for 10 years.\nShe received her educational doctorate from IU in 1968. From there, she was invited to establish a curriculum at Jackson State University in Jackson, Miss., where she became an associate professor for the school of education until retirement. \n“Graduating from IU with a doctorate was a milestone for me,” Hawkins-Brooks said.\nHaving been brought up in segregated times, it was unusual to be in college, she said.\n“Dr. Brooks was an outstanding educator in New Orleans and was a high role model for the young women in my neighborhood in the ‘50s and ‘60s,” colleague Jacquelyn Franklin said.\nFrances Greer-Morris, another friend of Hawkins-Brooks, said, “She is loved and respected by all.”\nFranklin said she developed a love for IU because of what the school has done for Hawkins-Brooks. \n“I don’t know of any other university that has contacted a graduate and responded the way IU has,” Franklin said.\nFranklin said the dean and faculty of the School of Education are educators of the 21st century and are truly about the business and humanity of education. \nWith IU’s help, Hawkins-Brooks received her diploma and dissertation. She is an influential member of the Jackson community, tries to do as much volunteer work as her health permits and is a valuable contributor to IU. \n“Teaching, to me, is a passion. You have to feel it,” Hawkins-Brooks said. “Education means growth from birth until death.”