Very interesting story about the baseball field at Vanderbilt

[Mooney]

It is named Hawkins Field after Charlie Hawkins who was a baseball standout pitcher in the 50s at Vanderbilt. His father was also a baseball star at Vanderbilt in the 20s. Charlie started a real estate development business in 1962 and it became very successful. His love was Vandy baseball and he attended most of the home games and several of the away games and often travelled with the team - even over the years when the team was not very good. In 2002, he gave the University over $2,000,000 to build the baseball field (which is very nice). The University named the field after him but he was so humble that he told many of his friends that it was named after his father even though he game the money. In 2014, he came down with a very rare and fast growing cancer. There was an article published in the local paper back then that his love for the baseball team eased his pain. The team boarded two busses to travel to his home to visit him during his illness. He was looked upon by the players with great respect and as a grandfather figure. Unfortunately and very sad, he died of his illness in 2014 at the age of of approximately 83, just a few months before Vandy won it first Men's NCAA Baseball College World Series. A very great and touching story.