Tom Hawkins

Tom Hawkins is a retired educator who has been involved with the Centralia Cultural Society as a performer and director for many years. Earlier in his career, Tom taught vocal and general music in the Centralia City Schools and gave private voice lessons during evenings and weekends. He served as choir director at St. Mary Church in Centralia for over 25 years and, throughout the years, has had the opportunity to adjudicate at numerous music contests. Later in his career, Tom became a building principal and eventually superintendent for the Centralia City Schools. In his retirement, he has continued to work in the area of school improvement and teacher professional development. He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in music education from the University of Illinois and holds a specialist's degree in educational administration from Eastern Illinois University. Tom has served as a committee member for the Beguelin Scholarship since its inception.