Dr. Jesse Hawthorne garnered multiple awards and honors during more than three decades as an educator at East Texas State University (now Texas A&M; University-Commerce).

Hawthorne, also renowned as a Commerce civic leader and outstanding citizen, died in 2009 at the age of 90. His was a career that spanned both academics and athletics, finding success in both.

After serving as a navigator with the Air Transport Command during World War II, ferrying planes to North Africa, Hawthorne began his teaching and coaching career with the Texas School for the Deaf in Austin in the mid-1940s, leading the football team to a National Championship for the Deaf.

Hawthorne and his family came to Commerce in 1951, where he began teaching at East Texas State University, being promoted to the Head of the Department Health and Physical Education and Director of Athletics about a year later.

Hawthorne’s record during his 32 years at ETSU included 11 Lone Star Conference championships in football, 13 conference championships in track and field, nine conference championships in basketball, 12 conference championships in tennis and two conference championships in golf.

He became president of the Texas Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation in 1957, and was vice president Men's Athletics of American Alliance of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. In 1964, he was elected president of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. He was a member of the United States Olympic Committee and delegate to the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 1964 and again to the Mexico City Olympic Games in 1968 and the World Basketball Games in Montevideo, Uruguay. In 1972, he went to Moscow to the World Student Games as chairman of the food and housing committee of United States athletes, both men and women. After a re-organization of AAHPERD, he became a past president of the National Association of Sports and Physical Education, 1968-69. In 1973 he became chairman of the Professional Preparation Panel of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.

Dr. Hawthorne was named to the National Association of Inter-collegiate Athletics Hall of Fame in 1973 and inducted into the National Association of Sports and Physical Education Hall of Fame in 1983. He was a member of the honor societies Phi Delta Kappa and Kappa Delta Pi.

He was presented the Faculty Distinguished Achievement Award in 1974. In 1982, he was the first recipient of the David K. Brace Award for the Texas Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance. In 1997 President Jerry D. Morris presented Dr. Hawthorne with the prestigious Spirit of Mayo Award in Recognition of Outstanding Service and Teaching. Dr. Hawthorne retired from East Texas State University in 1984 and was bestowed the honorary Professor Emeritus. He was inducted in the inaugural class of both the Texas A&M-Commerce Athletic Hall of Fame in 1986 and into the Lone Star Conference Hall of Honor in 1996.

Hawthorne served as Commerce Mayor Pro-term and as Presidents of the Chamber of Commerce, Lions Club, and United Way of Commerce. In 1997, he was selected as Outstanding Citizen of Commerce.