Thank you Ty for starting this thread.
Hoyt "Hawk" Hawkins was my dad's first cousin and namesake of my grandfather (whom I never met)
As a kid Hawk was my real life hero. A world traveler and man of respect (he would show up at our home in Ontario California in full dress uniform!) It was he who talked me through my first complete flight, including the snipping of my shirt tail! I still remember him cutting my favorite t-shirt unexpectedly! I still wore it that way for a good long time! Including for "show & tell" at school that week.
I had hoped to make the trip from So. Cal to Alabama after his passing to help clear out his basement and rescue a few planes. Health, finances and time just did not align up for that to happen. Enter Tom Morris - he was the only person I knew I could contact (and was for certain one of Hawk's most trusted friends) and Tom was able to make the trip and he picked up a number of planes, engines, support gear, etc...
I can't even think how to thank him! He is currently crating up the airplanes to ship them to my home in Winchester California. Including two of Hoyt's own designed " Hawk's Warhawk" one built and flown by Hawk and one of two built by Tom. Hawk must have passed one of the two Warhawks on to someone but we don't know who or where that second copy ended up.
Anyway, I could ramble on forever when it comes to Hoyt, I will just leave it here for now that I miss him terribly and am eternally grateful to Tom Morris for rescuing the Warhawks.
Just to clear up Hoyt's legacy; he had two daughters, Terri who is married and now living in Arizona with her mother Ann, and his baby Sandy, who preceded him in passing a few years ago. Losing Sandy was definitely a very difficult time for the whole family but Hawk took it particularly hard.
I am his second cousin, but he was without question both me and my dad's most cherished relative! My dad passed in 1983 at age 50, Hawk talked me through those dark days many times.
Thanks guys! I will post pictures of the airplanes I inherit when I get them. I don't know when, Tom is a busy guy and I am not in a hurry at this point so the agreement is Tom will work on getting stuff to me as he can fit it into his schedules. I am so grateful for Tom's intervention and help... Hawk would be happy to know his planes are not going into a dumpster!