American Cut Glass Association

T. G. Hawkes & Company

The Obituary of Penrose Hawkes

(The Leader, Corning, NY, Friday, 6 October 1972, p. 14)

PENROSE HAWKES DIES; SERVED CRYSTAL FIRM

J[ohn] P[im] Penrose Hawkes, 72, of 249 Wall St., a member of the family that founded T. G. Hawkes and Co. and long-time officer of that firm until its closing in 1962, died at 7:20 a. m. today at St. Joseph's Hospital in Elmira following a brief illness.

He was taken to the Elmira facility at 6:30 p. m. Thursday by Corning Ambulance Service from Corning Hospital,where he had been a patient since Sept. 29.

Born in March 1900 in Cork, Ireland, he was the son of Penrose and Sarah Hawkes. He came to Corning at the age of 16 at the invitation of his first cousin, Samuel Hawkes, to join the crystal manufacturing business founded in 1880 by Thomas Gibbons Hawkes

Mr. Hawkes served for many years as the principal salesman for the company, which manufactured its world-renowned glass at 75-77 W. Market St. He later served as general sales manager, secretary and vice president.

When T. G. Hawkes Co. closed its doors in 1962, Mr. Hawkes opened Hawkes Crystal, a retail sales business, at the same location. He was the sole owner and proprietor of that business until his dealth.

Since the early 1880s, the T. G. Hawkes firm was considered one of the principal manufacturers of fine cut glass. Steuben Glass was organized in 1903 by Thomas G. Hawkes and Frederick Carder, and was sold in 1918 to Corning Glass Works.

He was a member of Christ Episcopal Church.

He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Pauline Hawkes; a sister, Mrs. Alice Reid of Cork, Ireland; and several nieces and nephews, also in Ireland.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete at the A. W. Beilby and Son Funeral Home. They will be published in Saturday's issue of The Leader.

Reprinted 24 Jul 2005