David R. Hawkins was born April 10, 1941 in Springfield, OH, and grew up on a general livestock and grain farm in central Ohio. After earning B.S. and M.S. degrees at The Ohio State University, he attended Michigan State University (MSU), where he earned a Ph.D. in ruminant nutrition in 1969. Hawkins joined the MSU Beef Cattle Section as an assistant professor and was subsequently promoted to associate professor and professor. In 1973, he was appointed faculty coordinator of the Beef Cattle Teaching Center, and in 1984, coordinator of Animal Science Undergraduate Programs, with major responsibility for course and curriculum development. During his career, Hawkins has developed eight courses and led the department through three major curriculum reviews. He has personally taught nine different courses involving over 5,300 students and has been the advisor for 1,450 undergraduates. He has served as major professor for 14 graduate students and served on 33 other graduate committees. He is author or coauthor of 31 papers and abstracts in refereed journals and 135 articles in other publications. Hawkins has served as chair of the ASAS Teaching Committee, the ASAS Scholarship Committee, and as president of the National Block and Bridle Club. He is a recipient of three prestigious awards from MSU=s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources: Distinguished Teaching Award, Distinguished Service Award, and Distinguished Faculty Award. In addition to ASAS, he holds memberships in ARPAS, CAST, Gamma Sigma Delta, and Sigma Xi. He and his spouse, Kathleen, are parents of two daughters, Lisa and Jennifer.