Dale C. and Mary E. Hawkins Endowed Scholarship

Before she was married, Mary Lucas worked at the Security National Bank in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In 1934 she was taken as a hostage by a group of bank robbers, including John Dillinger and Pretty Boy Floyd, as they fled town following their robbery of the bank. She and four others were forced to ride on the running boards of the get-away car to keep pursuing police from firing at the criminals. She literally rode into history on a running board! At the time of the Dillinger heist, Mary was engaged to Dale Hawkins, who was working in another town. Dale soon arrived to reassure himself that she was all right after the hostage ordeal. They married on September 2, 1934. Dale joined the Army shortly after their marriage and after his service worked for Newberry Five and Dime in South Dakota, later transferring to the Newberry store in Billings, Montana, in 1938. Dale and Mary Hawkins contributed greatly to the arts and philanthropic causes in their home community of Billings. The Hawkins were knowledgeable and avid collectors of Western art. In the mid-1950s, they opened The Big Sky Gallery where they helped launch the career of several new artists by introducing their work at receptions and shows. Dale was also instrumental in starting the Yellowstone Corral of the Westerners in Billings in the 1970s. Mary was a member of the Western Heritage Center, Saint Vincent Healthcare Volunteer Board, and PEO Chapter E. Given Mary’s commitment to educational concerns, and in memory of her husband, she established the Dale C. Hawkins Endowed Scholarship in 1986 to help students at MSU Billings. In 1998 Mary changed the name of the endowment to the Dale C. and Mary E. Hawkins Scholarship Endowment. Mary passed away in 2009 at age 100. The Hawkins enriched the Billings community by their generosity and careful preservation of its history and art. The scholarship endowment fund provides financial assistance to students majoring in business who also meet the criteria listed below. The first scholarship was awarded in academic year 1987-1988.