COWETA COUNTY, Ga. — To mark a year since the death of Tommy Richard Hawk, Sr., Evelyn Hawk and Alexander Luke Hawk, members of the Hawk family have chosen to honor their loss by launching a scholarship.

Tommy and Evelyn Hawk, along with their grandson Luke, were shot and killed last April in a robbery at a gun range that the family owned.

“He would’ve loved to have been the center of attention for his birthday,” Shelby Wright-Whitlock said through a smile about Tommy Hawk Sr.

She added that “every day is hard, just some days are harder than others because we miss Tommy, Luke and Evelyn so much.”

This Saturday, April 8, will mark one year since the 75-year-old couple and their grandson were shot and killed at their family business ‘Lock, Stock & Barrel Shooting Range’ in Grantville.

Luke was just 18 and had plans for his future.

“He definitely wanted to do something in agriculture,” Wright-Whitlock said. “He was about all things outdoor and outside, so he was excited to get down there and have career opportunities open up for him.”

Luke planned on attending Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College (ABAC) in Tifton. And now Luke’s family is hoping to carry on his legacy with a scholarship by sending another student to ABAC.

“We understand that education changes people’s lives and their whole trajectories,” Wright-Whitlock said.

The family is halfway to their $75,000 goal and focused on raising more, so that even in death, Luke’s memory can live on.

“For us, this was the best way possible to keep Luke in our thoughts and do something positive out of this horrific tragedy,” Wright-Whitlock said.

Anyone interested in donating can go to https://www.abac.edu/give/. Under “Designation” Choose “Other” and type in the Luke Hawk Scholarship.

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