Former Kennebec Journal sports writer Gary Hawkins, also a junior high basketball coach, receives a “Legends of the Game” award during the Maine Basketball Hall of Fame 2017 Induction ceremony in Bangor. Morning Sentinel file photo by David Leaming

I met Gary Hawkins on my third day working at the Morning Sentinel and Kennebec Journal, in July 2000. It was a Friday afternoon, and I was set to cover American Legion baseball at Morton Field in Augusta the next day. The problem was, I had no idea where Morton Field was.

I drove all over Augusta, figuring how hard is it to find a baseball field? This was before we all had a GPS device in our car or on our cell phone, if we had a cell phone at all.

I went to the office, figuring somebody would be able to point me in the right direction. Hawk was there. He’d been off my first two days on the job. He grabbed his keys and said let’s go. He then drove us over to Morton Field, and we chatted about baseball and music and life.

The conversation lasted 14 years, until Hawk retired in 2014. It continued on and off in the following decade.

Hawk died Wednesday after a long illness. He was 76. I consider myself fortunate that I’m able to make a career out of playing with words in sports journalism. I’m even more fortunate that I met Hawk at that pivotal time early in my career.

Hawk was Augusta to his core. A lifelong resident of the city, he connected with the people and teams he covered in a way I’ve never seen. I don’t mean he was a cheerleader for the local teams. He was a fair journalist who cheered for the story.

He coached junior high boys basketball at St. Michael School (formerly St. Mary’s) in Augusta for decades. When we got together for noontime pickup basketball, back when our work day typically began in the late afternoon and went until midnight, he’d coach us up. Make this cut, he’d say, set this screen. As I’ve covered the high school basketball tournament this week, I’ve caught myself wondering, what would Hawk think of this team? What would he say about the York boys, who attacked the basket in Friday’s Class B South final like they were the 1986 Celtics? What would Hawk think of the Valley girls, who steamrolled to the Class D title game for a second season in a row.

What basketball nuances would I pick up, just sitting next to Hawk and chatting as these games played out in front of us? Hawk had so much fun during the tournament. It’s a lot of work, but it can be and should be joyous, if you let it.

We’d be at Margaritas or another Augusta watering hole for post-work beers, and somebody would inevitably approach and talk to Hawk for a few minutes. After they’d leave, I’d ask, who was that. Often, it was one of his former players. “Former Saint,” he’d say.

Hawk had a story for every occasion. A fantastic basketball game he’d covered, or a great athlete. Driving to Bangor in a blizzard to cover the Pine Tree Conference championship football game between Gardiner and Bangor in 1997. Hawk attended the famous Pearl Jam concert at the Augusta Civic Center on Sept. 26, 1996, and of that I will forever be jealous.

Back when we had a much later deadline, Hawk would stroll into the office from whatever game he’d covered that night and spend an hour talking. Eventually, he’d get to work, and with plenty of time to spare, he’d file a strong story. Then, he’d get back to talking.

The night the Boston Red Sox stopped breaking the hearts of their fans and won the World Series in 2004, we were at the Kennebec Journal’s old office on Western Avenue in Augusta. We watched the game unfold on the small television in the sports department, and we celebrated together after Keith Foulke threw the ball to Doug Mientkiewicz for the final out. Then Hawk reached into his wallet and handed me a $20.

Go right now to Hannaford, he told me and Scott Martin, our colleague, and buy some beer and cigars. We then met him at Margaritas, where he had the first round ready. After, we went to Scott’s place and toasted the Red Sox all night. It’s still one of my favorite memories. If I couldn’t be with family, I’m glad I was with those great friends.

I’m around the age now that Hawk was when we met. When I meet young journalists, I try to offer advice and encouragement in the same ways Hawk mentored me. I don’t know if he even realized he was passing on something important, but it’s critical to me that I remind my young colleagues that we pursue the truth above everything else, and have fun while doing it. To this point, I offer Hawk’s own words, from his final column with the Kennebec Journal, which ran June 27, 2014.

“For me, nothing compares to the thrill and challenge of sitting in front of a blank screen and creating something someone else might be interested in reading. The daily writing fix is what keeps many of us in this business coming back. So does the interaction we sports writers have with coaches, athletes, fans and the general public,” he wrote. “Being a neutral observer has given me a different perspective on those caught up in the frenzy of a game or championship. Seldom does any event in any of the towns we cover here at the KJ and Morning Sentinel have the ability to unite these communities as a winning athletic team.”

Hawk ended that column by calling this profession a blast. He was 100% correct. Learning from Hawk how to do the job correctly makes sports writing the only job I ever want. The only way I can ever repay that kindness is to treat this job as a privilege, and give a silent thanks to Hawk every time I type a word.