Barney Hawkes was born May 30, 1886, in Hampton, Conn. He was the son of Isaac and Flora Hawkes. He had one sister and five brothers. As a young man on his way west, he worked for a telephone company cutting timber for telephone poles on Long Island. The land was cleared for what is now Central Park, in New York City. He worked in the woods near Duluth, Minnesota, in a logging camp. He said the bed bugs and head lice were so bad that he was glad to get out of there.

From there he worked for farmers and while working for Joe Ebentier at Sutton, he met and later married Adeline Koch, who was the hired girl. Adeline was born October 9, 1888, in Bruce County, Ontario, Canada. Her parents came to Cooperstown in 1896. Her father was a carpenter. In earlier years he was known as a wheelwright. He worked on the elevators still operating today. Adeline's grandfather, Hienrich Evers left Germany as a young man (18), to come to America via a sailing ship. A fierce storm at sea blew the ship on the rocks off Newfoundland where it broke up. So Hienrich was glad to get to shore in a barrel. He married Mary Walthers. Many of the children of this couple came to "prove up" land in North Dakota. Some settled in Clearfield and Kingsly Township. In 1916, the family moved back to Canada. Adeline had four brothers and five sisters.

Barney and Adeline were married February 19, 1913, in Cooperstown, North Dakota.  They had five children: Lester Telkwa, B. C., Canada; Mrs. Roy (Helen) Murray, Valley City, North Dakota; Mrs. Earl (Marian) Jones, Palo Cedro, California; Mrs. Harland (Doris) Erickson, Glenfield; and Robert, Newport, Washington.  In 1914, they lived on Section 25 in Glenfield Township. Lester and Helen started school in Glenfield but did not finish the term because the family moved to the Sutton area. Marian, Doris and Robert were all born on farms near Sutton. In 1936, they moved back to the Glenfield area. They rented a farm on Section 23 from the Federal Land Bank. In 1940, he purchased the farm known as the Geo. Young farm in Eastman Township. Adeline passed away in 1946.

Barney married Leona Wilson, October 26, 1954, at Harlowtown, Montana.  Leona operated the Glenfield Cafe in the Thurlow building for a few years. She had one daughter, Lois. Barney's youngest son, Robert married Lois Wilson, September 25, 1954, at Glenfield. They have two sons, Danny, a police officer, a graduate of Washington State University, Pullman, Washington; and Roger, with the forest service, a graduate of Spokane Community College. Robert worked for the REA at Glenfield as a lineman until the late 1960s, when he went to Newport, Washington, to work for Inland Power and Lights. Barney passed away in Newport, Washington, November 29, 1977.

Bob Hawkes and fellow crew members Dan Cargill and Bill Ives starred in another rescue drama a year ago, and Bob, a huge, gentle bear of a man, had the pleasure of seeing little Laurie Ayn Bailey - who had been trapped in an overturned vehicle at just four years old - laughing, playing and doing just fine.

On that day, though, she had been "mashed" in the door of a pickup that went off the road and rolled. When asked what he did first, after radioing for help, Hawkes said, "First I tore the window out." Try that sometime! With the other crew members, Hawkes levered the vehicle up and freed her crushed legs by prying the door open, and then performed emergency first aid.

Laurie Ayn's mother, Valerie said, "I was hysterical and didn't know what to do. Laurie had glass still sticking in her body and was bleeding badly. Mr. Hawkes knew exactly what to do and did it immediately."

Little Laurie was rushed to the hospital with a smashed pelvis, legs crushed in two places and some bad cuts. After spending nearly a month in traction, and quite some time afterwards recuperating, she is now an attractive and active little girl.

Recently lineman Hawkes was in the Baileys' neighborhood when Mrs. Bailey called him over to see his little friend. The Baileys are not about to forget "Big Bob Hawkes." As Tom Bailey said, "If it hadn't been for Mr. Hawkes, his training and equipment, little Laurie wouldn't be with us now."

He must seem like "Superman" to Laurie who, in spite of her youth and the trauma, remembers him well.

Of course, after the rescue "Superman" and his buddies carry on, keeping the electricity coming. After all - that's their main job.

Source:  Glenfield History 1886 €“ 1987 Page 165