(Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill)
Deborah Hawkins, manager of parking control and event operations for transportation and parking, has been selected as one of six of the 2019 C. Knox Massey Distinguished Service Awards recipient for her “unusual, meritorious or superior contributions.”
Chosen from campus-wide nominations by Interim Chancellor Kevin M. Guskiewicz, the recipients will be honored at an April 27 awards luncheon. Each winner receives a $10,000 stipend and an award citation.
“These amazing colleagues who, through their dedicated work and commitment to excellence, continually up the pace of progress at the Carolina we cherish and love,” Guskiewicz said. “We thank them for their service to our University and our state. They are the soul of this most public of the public universities.
The late C. Knox Massey of Durham established the award in 1980. In 1984, Massey joined the families of his son, Knox Massey Jr., and daughter, Kay Massey Weatherspoon, to create the Massey-Weatherspoon fund. Income from the fund supports the Massey Awards and Carolina Seminars. This year marks the award’s 40th anniversary.
The 2019 recipients are:
- Robert G. Anthony Jr., curator of the North Carolina Collection and director of the North Carolina Digital Heritage Center for University Libraries;
- Lynn White Blanchard, director of the Carolina Center for Public Service;
- Nancy Dense Burton, receptionist and administrative support specialist for Housekeeping Services;
- Linda Brown Douglas, director of volunteer engagement for University Development;
- Deborah L. Hawkins, manager of parking control and event operations in Transportation and Parking; and
- Sharon Horton Jones, director of student services and assessment at the School of Media and Journalism.
Deborah L. Hawkins
Nearly 75 colleagues nominated Hawkins, praising her leadership, operational experience, responsiveness and logistical savvy. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Carolina in 1988 and in 29 years of service to the University, she has overseen parking for the arrival and departure of two U.S. presidents, one first lady and two vice presidents. Though visits from dignitaries are uncommon, large-scale event parking is as regular as the 10,000-student migration each semester and as untimely as a funeral. In 2017, the Employee Forum presented Hawkins with its highest honor, the Three-Legged Stool Award, recognizing those who promote cooperation and collaboration among faculty, staff and students.