Roland K. Hawkes 1935-2018 Westbrook-Roland K. Hawkes, PhD., of Prides Corner, Westbrook Maine, died December 20, 2018. Roland had a zest for life, and loved sharing stories of his lived experiences in southern Maine, Massachusetts, Maryland, Iowa, Illinois, and southern Africa. As a sociologist devoted to inclusive societies, Roland was a keen social justice activist. Like his father, Kenneth, Roland was an active advocate for racial and gender equity. He worked with black communities in Baltimore, and participated in sit-in demonstrations, marched on Washington DC amongst Martin Luther King Jr. and other prominent racial justice activists of that time. Even while facing arrests and public threats he stood by his principles. He continued to stand for the justice of "marginalized" voices throughout his long life. His areas of concern and interest took him to issues of land use and natural resources management in Southern Africa. Roland graduated from Tufts University with a BA in Sociology, Boston University with an MA in Sociology and Anthropology, and a doctoral degree in sociology from Johns Hopkins University. In his early academic years, he served at the University of Iowa and then later as a visiting professor at the University of Minnesota. He taught for sixteen years at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, where he was professor emeritus. In 1987, he received a Fulbright lecturer position at the University of Zimbabwe, and later, in 2000 received another Fulbright Lecturer and Senior Research Fellow position at the University of Fort Hare, Alice, South Africa. He retired and returned to Gorham in 2001. Over the years, he thrived on researching history, past and contemporary. He was particularly fond of the history of Portland and Westbrook, Maine. In his most recent years, he served as a docent with the Greater Portland Landmarks, providing guided tours of the Portland Observatory. On a good day he would climb the one-hundred-and four steps of the tower with ease. The Portland Observatory was a special place for him, particularly sharing the history of Portland with young people. As he once shared, "I often remark that getting to the top of the Observatory is always a new experience. It always left me anticipating the next season!" On any given day, he could be found investigating the canal routes and calculating the original granite rubble that still remains, serving as ballast of the Observatory tower. In his reflective solitude, Roland challenged himself by programming his own puzzles, refurbishing electronics, and he enjoyed tinkering with new projects around the house. As a long-time amateur radio technician, he had a deep-rooted passion for people and technologies. Above all, he had a profound love, admiration, and dedication for his wide-spread family. He was one of the three children of the late Rev. Kenneth C. Hawkes and June W. Hawkes. He is survived by Janet Hawkes, his step mother; his partner Otrude Moyo, his sisters Carolyn Gaines (Charles Gaines) of Tucson, Arizona and Margaret St. Pierre (Phil Gagnon) of Falmouth, Maine; his two sons Kenneth and Christopher Hawkes; his daughter Lulama O. Moyo Hawkes; and many nieces, nephews, grandchildren, grand-nieces and nephews, and great grand-nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his ex-wife Rosemary Hawkes, and his niece Patricia St. Pierre. The family wishes to thank neighbors, health and human service providers for coordinating his care prior to his passing. Family and friends are invited to attend a memorial service on Saturday, January 5, 2019 at 10:00 AM at the Westbrook Chapel of Dolby Blais & Segee 35 Church St. Memorial donations in his name can be made to: Portland Observatory c/o Greater Portland Landmarks 93 High Street, Portland, ME 04101