Soldier, Father, and Lifelong Friend
Graham Hawks was a soldier in World War II when he met fellow soldier Winthrop Rockefeller. Surviving the war, the two men would maintain a lifelong friendship.
Graham Hawks was born in New York City in the early twentieth century. Not much is known about his early life. However, he would marry a nurse named Marge, his lifelong wife, before he shipped off for World War II. Graham and Marge had two children, Ria Grace and Graham Junior. Hawks’ life was one filled with activity and notable friendship with Arkansas Governor and philanthropist Winthrop Rockefeller. Hawks met Rockefeller where the two served as officers in World War II. Together they survived a Kamikaze attack that left Hawks with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Hawks worked as an obstetrician and gynecologist in New York City throughout his adult life after getting his medical degree. Evidence suggests he was also a successful inventor. He designed a grain-sifting machine that he developed at Winrock Farms in Arkansas, a cattle raising business and center for demonstrating state-of-the-art agricultural methods. At the same place Hawks engineered special ponds for Rockefeller’s cattle.
Graham Meets Winthrop Rockefeller
It was in the Pacific Theatre of World War II that Graham Hawks and Winthrop Rockefeller would meet and become good friends. They were both at a military officer’s school when Hawks saw Rockefeller talking around with others. Hawks approached Rockefeller and told him that his grandfather, Byron Hawks, worked at John D. Rockefeller’s, Winthrop’s grandfather, estate in Tarrytown New York, first as a gardener and later as a superintendent. Enamored by this ancestral connection, Hawks and Rockefeller would form a bond and be at each other’s side for much of World War II. The two would continue to maintain a strong relationship for the remainder of their lives long after the end of World War II.
Tragedy on the USS Henrico
The USS Henrico was traveling through the Okinawa area along with 77th
Division attack group. Rockefeller was playing cards and Hawks was sitting around the executive officer’s room when, as Hawks recounts, “All of a sudden there was a deafening explosion and a yellow flame and the sensation of the inability to breathe.” No one knew what had happened but there was a giant cavity in the ship all the way down to the waterline. Hawks thought the ship had struck a mine or a submarine. Many sleeping quarters were now gone. No one knew who was dead or alive or who was in command. Hawks worried Rockefeller was dead but eventually found him. After a moment, Rockefeller took command and started issuing orders on saving the ship. The two friends discovered that the entire command staff except the regimental surgeon (Graham Hawks) and the regimental supply officer (Winthrop Rockefeller) were killed by the explosion. The ship crew worked throughout the night to keep the ship afloat until the next morning when the USS Henrico was relieved by other vessels sent to help. It was a Japanese Kamikaze attack that was responsible for the tragedy. One hundred and fifty navy and army personnel died on the Henrico.
After the USS Henrico was relieved, Graham and Winthrop were separated. Hawks was transferred back to the front and Rockefeller, having burned his hands, was transferred to an army hospital. They would not see each other again until after the war and Hawks would later be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) because of this attack. This was discovered during later operation when Hawks had to be evacuated back to a hospital in the United States.
Graham Hawks' Family Visits Petit Jean
Shortly after Winthrop Rockefeller moved from New York to Petit Jean near Morrilton Arkansas, he started his Winrock Farms cows raising business. Graham Hawks would become a fairly frequent and welcomed visitor at his friend’s Arkansas home. Hawks and his family would visit as often as they reasonably could. Graham’s children, Ria and Graham Junior, would frequently write to Winthrop and his wife Jeannette, recalling the enjoyment of their experiences at Petit Jean. At Petit Jean, there were many activities that the Hawks family would have access to, from swimming to riding horses. The Rockefeller property was a perfect vacation spot for the Hawks family. They visited often either near Christmas or in the summer.
Hawks’ life was filled with excitement, hard work and determination. He had a lovely family and a great friend. He fought in World War II surviving the tragedy on the USS Henrico. He dealt with PTSD and worked as an obstetrician. He invested in helping Rockefeller with Winrock Farms and vacationed with his family there. Now, his legacy lives on in his children and family.