Dr. Ross Hawkins
AS SEEN IN THE RED ROCK NEWS
August 14, 2020
I have the privilege of working with deeply passionate people who love our town, environment, and lifestyle and are committed to protecting and preserving it.
There were few more dedicated or caring than Dr. H. Ross Hawkins, who died last month at 81.
Ross founded and served as Executive Director of the Sedona-based International Hummingbird Society. He and his wife Beth inspired people around the world with stories of their hummingbird-inspired travel and Beth’s incredible photography.
Their vigorous support for the annual Sedona Hummingbird Festival has made it a fixture on our event calendar. Usually held in August, it provides a needed boost during a slow month. Like well-prepared nectar, the Festival attracts hummingbird lovers from all over; birders from a dozen countries flocked to Sedona during its first seven years. Ross was anticipating another triumph this year before the pandemic forced its cancellation.
Their success is a testament to Ross’ love for the study of hummingbirds and the preservation of their local habitats, where we welcome migratory hummingbirds and host species such as Anna’s Hummingbird year-round. But his devotion to this tiny whirring jewel that brightens so many lives had a deeper source. It was an expression of his love of beauty and his appreciation for life’s fragility, distilled in this phrase he chose for the Society’s website:
“In the end, we will conserve only what we love.
We will love only what we understand.
We will understand only what we are taught.”
Like many people in love with life and learning, Ross’ energetic curiosity led him down many pathways. He started his career as a Ph. D. chemist at Dupont before his gregarious nature drew him to the world of finance. He rose to Vice President of Investments for Morgan Stanley. Retiring after 22 years, he and Beth relocated to Sedona from Maryland in 2006.
By then, the Hummingbird Society he had founded was already ten years old, and soon, Ross was at the forefront of the inaugural Festival.
The Chamber has supported the Society and the Festival for years. Ross’ financial background combined with his smile and charm made his proposals instantly credible. He would be the first to tell you that birders are a perfect high-end demographic for the perfect Sedona visitor. He was a wonderful advocate and an excellent speaker – a skill he polished by becoming certified by the National Speakers Association in 2010. His baritone voice was part of his appeal; he never stopped developing his sound. He was an enthusiastic member of Sedona’s Harmony on the Rocks barbershop group, and he and Beth shared a passion for musical expression. I regret not having heard what must have been a fantastic moment – the two of them singing Morten Lauridsen’s O Magnum Mysterium, conducted by the composer himself.
The point is not just that we miss Ross, though we surely do. Ross and Beth are part of a Sedona spirit that makes our hometown precious to me. We are blessed with a core of highly accomplished people with seemingly endless energy, a profoundly artistic impulse and a social consciousness that urges them to make things better – all inspired by their love for life, nature, each other and Sedona.
It’s people like Ross and Beth that embody the spirit of Sedona’s brand, the most beautiful place on earth – in so many ways.
So farewell, H. Ross Hawkins. You made life better for Sedona, your wife and family, your friends, your hummingbirds and everyone who crossed your path. As one way of honoring you, we will continue building a legacy of sustainability for Sedona with happy hearts, respect for nature, and compassion for each other.
–Jennifer Wesselhoff, President/CEO