Former Lions Athletic Director Dr. Jesse J. Hawthorne Dies

Former Texas A&M-Commerce athletic director and chair of the Physical Education Department, Dr. Jesse J. Hawthorne passed away on Saturday.

The funeral service for Dr. Hawthorne will be on Wednesday, November 11 at 11 a.m. at the First Methodist Church in Commerce and the visitation will be held on Tuesday night from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at the Jones-Walker and Son Funeral Home in Commerce. 

Hawthorne joined the faculty in September 1951 and was named the Chair of the Physical Education Department and Director of Athletics in 1953. 

He served in the dual capacities for 31 years until his retirement after the 1984 academic year. While in leadership, the Lions won five national titles and won or shared 47 Lone Star Conference titles. Among his many honors included induction into the Lions Athletic Hall of Fame in 1986 and selection into the Lone Star Conference Hall of Honor. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to:

Dr. J. J. Hawthorne Scholarship Endowment Fund
Foundation Office
Texas A&M-Commerce
PO Box 3425
Commerce, TX 75429

OR

TAPHERD Foundation
7910 Cameron Road
Austin, TX 78754

OR

Commerce Lions Club
PO Box 424
Commerce, TX 75429.