By Mike Robertson
Choctaw Plaindealer
Seventy years in the outdoors, spent hunting and fishing, have offered Rev. Roy D. Hawkins the privilege of seeing untold sunrises, thus the title of his new book, Horizons East, A Hunting and Fishing Memoir1945-2015.
A Choctaw County native, Hawkins began his outdoor life with his father at the age of two-and-a-half, on a fishing outing on the Yockanookany River, near Weir. Hawkins has been an avid fly-fisherman throughout his life and has been privileged to hunt and fish in 18 different states and three Canadian provinces.
When asked what his favorite type of hunting is, Hawkins responded that it would be hard to say. He has hunted for quail, duck, pheasant, turkey, bear, hogs, deer and many more and has been blessed to enjoy an experience that he believes is inherent in mankind.
Hawkins met his wife, Choctaw native, Patsy Love Hawkins, while in seminary; they grew up within five miles of each other, but had never spoken until a year before their marriage. They will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on December 22.
Hawkins left Choctaw County in 1968 and pastured several churches, including Calvary Baptist Church in Columbus, for 23 years. They returned to Choctaw County in 2003, and live on their farm in French Camp; Hawkins began serving as the Director of Missions for the Choctaw Baptist Association in 2006.
His son, Jody Hawkins, and daughter, Jenny Hawkins Wood, both live in Mississippi and Rev. Hawkins has passed his love of the outdoors to his son. They recently traveled to Canada on a bear hunting expedition and were each able to bag a black bear, which he described as a very special time.
Hawkins said there is something healing in the outdoors, and hunting and fishing had often been a refuge to take him away from the pressures and rigors of life a pastor which can be quite trying at times.
Part of his inspiration for writing the book was to pass along the joys of these experiences, and along the journey to present a bit of the Gospel that he has given in life to preaching and sharing. Hawkins said that he chose not to write the book as an overtly religious work as that might turn away some people who would otherwise read it.
Hawkins feels that hunting and fishing are important as it is those sportsmen who help to support wildlife conservation, but beyond that it is a way to exercise the dominion man has been given over wildlife.
While writing outdoor columns for the Choctaw Plaindealer, Hawkins was encouraged to put his stories in book form. Each chapter deals with a different decade of his outdoor life. Those interested in obtaining a copy of Horizons East can contact Rev. Hawkins by email at: teachphawkins@yahoo.com. It is also available at www.amazon.com. Hawkins will hold a book signing at French Camp Baptist Church on Saturday, October 27, from 2-4 p.m.
