25
Feb
2010
Harvest House Founder Dies at 87
Harvest House Founder Dies at 87, Passion Was to Help the Hurts of People
Press Release–Eugene, Oregon–February 10, 2010–RH “Bob” Hawkins, Sr., the visionary founder of Harvest House Publishers and a loving husband, an inspiring father, and a cheerleading grandfather, went home to be with the Lord on Tuesday, February 9, 2010. He was 87 and died following a long and arduous battle with Parkinson‘s disease.
A Memorial Celebration Service will be held on Tuesday, February 23, 2010, at 1:00 pm. at First Baptist Church of Eugene, Oregon. Arrangements and private burial will be at Rest Haven Memorial Park in Eugene, Oregon.
Harvest House Publishers was the vision of an innovative, risk-taking, faith-extending man by the name of Bob Hawkins Sr., who believed the paperback book could carry the Christian message to the masses.
Hawkins received the Lifetime Achievement award from the Evangelical Christian Publishing Association (ECPA) and the Life Impact Award from the Christian Booksellers Association (CBA). Hawkins was instrumental in the establishment of ECPA, and served several terms on its board and as its president from 1985-1986.
Harvest House president Bob Hawkins, Jr., stated, “My father was known as a confident visionary and enterprising entrepreneur in the Christian publishing industry. He played a key supportive role in helping authors impact literally tens of millions of lives by sharing Christ‘s love through the thousands of books he published and sold with unparalleled passion.”
Hawkins, Jr., continued, “But he also leaves a more personal legacy–one of investing in the lives of others. Along with his honest faith in God, he had a resolute belief in the potential of people–family, friends, authors, and business associates.” Longtime Harvest House author Emilie Barnes, once said of Hawkins, Sr., “Without his faith in me over 25 years ago, I would not have been able to write over 70 books. He saw something in me that I wasn’t able to see in myself. He took a gamble to publish my first book, More Hours in My Day. His vision gave me the encouragement to be all that he saw in me…”
RH “Bob” Hawkins was born in Fairland, Oklahoma on March 10, 1922. At the age of 18, he received Christ as his Savior and Lord, and so began a life of service and dedication to God. Bob served as a staff sergeant in the United States Army, and then attended the University of Oklahoma, Northwestern Bible College in Minneapolis, and Westmont College in Southern California. While at Northwestern, Bob met Shirley Curtis, and they were married on August 7, 1953.
